SpaceX successfully launched 60 Starlink satellites to space using the Falcon 9 rocket. The launch happened on 20th January and marked the beginning of the company’s space explorations in 2021. And now SpaceX’s next satellite launch is scheduled to happen today at 9:24 AM EST/7:54 PM IST. The launch will use a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket and will take place from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is also one of the shortest time gaps between two launches by SpaceX.
More about SpaceX’s next satellite launch
The latest launch by SpaceX is also supposed to take Starlink satellites and other ones to space. Earlier, the company launched 60 satellites, but this time, the transporter-1 will take only 10 of them to Earth’s polar orbit. At the same time, other satellites included in the launch will be the SuperDove satellite and Charlie. This will be the 1st time that the company will take Starlink satellites to polar orbit.
After the launch successfully takes place, the Transporter 1 rocket will land back on a drone ship in the Atlantic. It will also be the 73rd rocket that SpaceX gets to successfully reland for reusing in future missions. Even though unlike the last Falcon 9 rocket, the Transporter-1 didn’t fly 8 times, but it did 4 times. So, we may say it is also approaching new records in the future in terms of reflights and reuse.
It has already made history by taking Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS. This was the 1st crewed launch in the US after 2011. The rocket also did other missions like taking South Korea’s military communications satellite and the Dragon Cargo capsule to the International Space Station. As of now, we can see that the Transporter-1 will be again traveling to outer space within a few hours. The weather conditions are also apt and most probably the launch need not be delayed.
SpaceX’s Rideshare program
Well, SpaceX is not SpaceX if it doesn’t do something different than other companies right. Well, that is the case even here. With their latest program, the company is providing rides on the Falcon 9 for $1 million per pop. One can easily book their slots from the company’s site. Also, note that this opportunity is available 4 times a year. Even earlier the company has done ridesharing with its rocket and successfully taken other satellites to space. SpaceX has often been taking smaller satellites to space alongside the Starlink satellite launch even this time around.
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