SpaceX sent another 60 satellites into orbit on Monday, one of many such launches the company hopes to conduct over the next year as it works to build a massive broadband-from-space business.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites took off from Florida's Canaveral Air Force Station at 9:56 am ET. Later this morning, the company will confirm if the satellites successfully deployed in orbit.
SpaceX's internet constellation, called Starlink, will require hundreds of satellites working in tandem to provide seamless internet connections on the ground. The 60 satellites launched Monday will add to the dozens launched in May on the first Starlink flight, and the company plans to launch as many as 24 more missions next year as it builds up its network — adding more bandwidth and coverage area.
The company has permission from regulators to launch more than 10,000 Starlink satellites and it recently requested permission to add as many as 30,000 to that number.
Of the first batch of 60 satellites launched in May, three malfunctioned and were unable to communicate with the ground, a SpaceX spokesperson said Friday. Those devices will be left to float around aimlessly until the Earth's gravity can slowly drag them back out of orbit. That could take years.
Two other satellites were directed to dive back toward Earth to "simulate an end of life disposal." SpaceX wants its functioning satellites to save enough fuel for the journey home after they finish their business in space, and this pair of satellites will test out the method for doing that. Purposely taking satellites out of orbit is part of SpaceX's plan to ensure its satellites don't contribute to space junk.
The company hopes that Starlink could one day bring internet access to a significant portion of the world's population who live in areas without the infrastructure for wireless or who aren't happy with their current providers.
The business will launch first in the southern United States, potentially as soon as next year, according to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell.
Other tech companies have tried and failed to build satellite internet constellations to provide inexpensive broadband services. SpaceX has said it will be successful because it has the ability to launch cheaply on its own rockets. The Falcon 9 was a game-changer for the space industry because of its $60 million price tag, which is roughly one-third the price of similarly sized rockets.
Part of the reason the Falcon 9 is so cheap, according to SpaceX, is because the company has the ability to reuse parts of the hardware.
SpaceX routinely recycles the first-stage booster, the bottom portion of the rocket that gives the initial thrust at launch. The booster used on Monday was previously used on three missions, marking the first time SpaceX has used the same booster on four trips to space.
It was also the first mission on which the Falcon 9 flew with a used fairing, which is the cone-shaped portion at the top of the rocket that protects satellites during launch.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites took off from Florida's Canaveral Air Force Station at 9:56 am ET. Later this morning, the company will confirm if the satellites successfully deployed in orbit.
SpaceX's internet constellation, called Starlink, will require hundreds of satellites working in tandem to provide seamless internet connections on the ground. The 60 satellites launched Monday will add to the dozens launched in May on the first Starlink flight, and the company plans to launch as many as 24 more missions next year as it builds up its network — adding more bandwidth and coverage area.
The company has permission from regulators to launch more than 10,000 Starlink satellites and it recently requested permission to add as many as 30,000 to that number.
Of the first batch of 60 satellites launched in May, three malfunctioned and were unable to communicate with the ground, a SpaceX spokesperson said Friday. Those devices will be left to float around aimlessly until the Earth's gravity can slowly drag them back out of orbit. That could take years.
Two other satellites were directed to dive back toward Earth to "simulate an end of life disposal." SpaceX wants its functioning satellites to save enough fuel for the journey home after they finish their business in space, and this pair of satellites will test out the method for doing that. Purposely taking satellites out of orbit is part of SpaceX's plan to ensure its satellites don't contribute to space junk.
The company hopes that Starlink could one day bring internet access to a significant portion of the world's population who live in areas without the infrastructure for wireless or who aren't happy with their current providers.
The business will launch first in the southern United States, potentially as soon as next year, according to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell.
Other tech companies have tried and failed to build satellite internet constellations to provide inexpensive broadband services. SpaceX has said it will be successful because it has the ability to launch cheaply on its own rockets. The Falcon 9 was a game-changer for the space industry because of its $60 million price tag, which is roughly one-third the price of similarly sized rockets.
Part of the reason the Falcon 9 is so cheap, according to SpaceX, is because the company has the ability to reuse parts of the hardware.
SpaceX routinely recycles the first-stage booster, the bottom portion of the rocket that gives the initial thrust at launch. The booster used on Monday was previously used on three missions, marking the first time SpaceX has used the same booster on four trips to space.
It was also the first mission on which the Falcon 9 flew with a used fairing, which is the cone-shaped portion at the top of the rocket that protects satellites during launch.