SpaceX’s latest mission launched from Cape Carnival witnessed the deployment of 53 Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit as the firm aims to build its global broadband-from-space service. The company shared some images showing the beautiful sunrise at the launch site with images of the Falcon 9 rocket ascending over the fog.
SpaceX also shared a video that shows the launch. It also marked the ninth use of this particular Falcon 9 rocket. Earlier missions used the booster included the Crew-2 launch to the ISS in April. The mission was also the company’s 129th orbital flight.
Many countries to join the project
The spaceflight firm has now deployed over 1,800 Starlink satellites since the first batch sent in May 2019. The company launched a public beta program in November last year and currently has over 100,000 users. The service is available in several countries including the US, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and the UK. India and Japan are also expected to join the program in 2022.
In the US, Starlink customers are required to pay a one-time fee of $499 for the Starlink kit and then $99 per month for the broadband service. The Starlink project has faced a lot of flak from astronomers who claim that sunlight reflected from the satellites could disrupt their view of deep space. The company has been trying to overcome the issue by trying out various satellite designs to reduce glare.
Space junk problem a concern
Another issue is the low-Earth orbit is becoming crowded with small satellites, a situation expected to get worse as other players including Amazon, OneWeb, and Boeing are also set to deploy satellites for their satellite internet service.
The fear is that satellites could collide with each other and cause space debris, which is a threat to bigger satellites that provide important data for Earth-based services and also crewed satellites such as the ISS and China’s new space station.
Previously, SpaceX tested a variant of its super-powered Raptor engine. The company shared a video of its Raptor vacuum engine fitted onto a Starship prototype firing for the first time.
