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A new stack of Starlink satellites were sent into space from California on Saturday by a record 11th successful launch of a Falcon 9 rocket.
The rocket blasted off at 7 a.m. A stack of 52 Starlink satellites were carried from Space Launch Complex 4E at the Vandenberg Space Force Station in California.
The first stage of the rocket returned to Earth and landed on the deck of the most prolific drone ship in the world, marking the 98th successful landing for the company. The record 11th flight of the Falcon 9 booster is the mostflown rocket yet.
"We just had a successful landing on the first stage of the rocket," Youmei Zhou said during the broadcast. Our 98th overall landing of a rocket.
The Starlink satellite megaconstellation was launched in photos.
3 of 3 are images
A record for a single booster in a single rocket is set by the 11th mission of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The image is from the SpaceX.
A record for a single booster in a single rocket is set by the 11th mission of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The image is from the SpaceX.
A record for a single booster in a single rocket is set by the 11th mission of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The image is from the SpaceX.
Saturday's early morning liftoff is the 29th Falcon 9 mission for the company so far in the year and it is the most launches in a year. The previous record was set in 2020 with 26 Falcon 9 rockets being launched by SpaceX.
There are two more launches on the calendar this year, which will both lift off from Florida, so the company could launch a grand total of 31 Falcon 9 missions this year.
The Turksat 5B communications satellite will be launched less than 19 hours after the Starlink mission. Liftoff is at 10:58 p.m. From a pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Dragon cargo ship is scheduled to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on Tuesday.
Saturday's flight is part of the company's efforts to expand and upgrade its Starlink internet constellation. The company recently upgraded each of the flat-paneled satellites with the ability to communicate with each other via laser links, and this is the fourth flight to carry them. Company officials said that this will increase efficiency and reduce reliance on ground stations.
The number of Starlink satellites has increased since May. It also has an unusual location, which will hug the coast of California as the satellites are eventually expected to reach a parking spot that's a bit more centralized. Typically, launches from California aim a more polar trajectory.
The view from the upper stage of the Falcon 9 shows the stack of 52 Starlink satellites that were launched in December of 2021. The image is from the SpaceX.
There are five orbital shells designed to be filled with Starlink internet satellites. The shells will be located at various altitudes above the planet, between 335 and , between 540 and 560 kilometers, and at inclinations of 53, 51.2, 70, and 98.6 degrees. The inclination is the angle between the plane and the equator.
The 53-degree shell has been filled and the company is looking at other possibilities. Two of the recent Starlink missions have deposited their payloads into the inclinations. That launch was launched from California.
Saturday's mission will fill another spot in the 53.2-degree circle, marking a switch to a non-polar circle for a California payload.
The Starlink megaconstellation is intended to connect people around the globe to the internet, particularly those in rural and remote areas. The program now serves more than 100,000 subscribers in 20 countries, and is still growing, according to company officials.
After 10 launches and landings, the most-flown Falcon 9 rocket is a sooty veteran.
The record launch of the Falcon 9 is 11.
A new record for the company was set on December 18, 2021, when the Falcon 9 rocket booster flew its 11th mission. The image is from the SpaceX.
In an effort to streamline processes, get more use out of its boosters and further reduce costs, SpaceX has been refining its reusability tactics ever since it landed its first booster in 2015. The company introduced the Block 5 version of the Falcon 9 in order to make it better. The souped-up version had a more robust thermal protection system, titanium grid fins, and a more durable interstage. The rapid reusability that SpaceX sees today is a result of these enhancements.
One of the oldest rockets in the fleet is featured in Saturday's mission. The B1051 is the most flown rocket with 11 launches and landings under its belt. B1049 is the only other rocket with 10 flights. There are two other boosters that have flown 9 times.
B1051 was introduced in March of this year as part of the demo-1 mission, which launched the first Crew Dragon to the International Space Station.
Three Earth-observing satellites for Canada, a broadband satellite for Sirius XM, and eight Starlink satellite groups have been carried by the Falcon 9 booster.
When the Block 5 Falcon was launched, Musk speculated that each Falcon 9 would be able to fly 10 times with very few refurbishments between flights. As the company has recovered and reflown more rockets, engineers are using that 10-flight threshold as a guideline, as each Falcon 9 may be capable of many more flights.
In April, Musk said that the company would continue to push the limits of the Falcon 9 to see how many flights it can get out of each rocket before any major changes are required. Starlink will be used to do that.
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