![]() Called a payload fairing (or nose cone), the two pieces account for one-tenth of the rocket's cost SpaceX officials have said. It also marks the 130th overall flight of a Falcon 9 rocket, and the 115th from Florida.Īlong with the rocket's first stage, SpaceX also recycled the clamshell-like protective hardware that encases the payload. The flight marked the 27th launch of 2021 for SpaceX and the 32nd dedicated Starlink launch for the company's burgeoning constellation. Its other payloads have included another rideshare mission called Transporter-2, a communication satellite for Turkey and five additional Starlink missions. It made its debut in June 2020, carrying an upgraded GPS satellite into space for the U.S. The Falcon 9 rocket on today's launch, called B1060, is a flight-proven booster that has now flown nine times. Starlink review: How good is Elon Musk's satellite internet service? ![]() A total of 12 satellites will eventually make up the company's planned constellation with two additional satellites scheduled to launch on an upcoming Rocket Lab mission. They will join eight others to help fill out BlackSky's planned constellation. This mission marks the second rideshare mission for BlackSky, and the two optical satellites onboard each weigh approximately 121 pounds (55 kilograms). Today's flight is the third batch of the company's recently upgraded Starlink internet satellites, with a stack of 48 Starlink satellites sharing a ride with two Earth-observing satellites for BlackSky. The two BlackSky satellites successfully separated from the rocket's upper stage about an hour after liftoff, and the 48 Starlink satellites separated about a half-hour later, the company confirmed during a live broadcast of the launch and on Twitter. The company has approval for 30,000 more satellites, with the option for as many as 42,000. To date, SpaceX has launched almost 1,900 flat-paneled broadband satellites, with just under 900 launched in 2021 alone. SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation is designed to provide high-speed internet coverage to users around the world below, particularly those in remote and rural areas that do not have access to traditional internet connections. Although the drone ships are designed to withstand those wave heights, the teams opted to switch out the ships (and the crew) so teams would be fresh for both launches. SpaceX officials said that due to the delays with its most recent crew launch to the International Space Station, Just Read the Instructions was forced to stay out at sea, braving waves ranging from 20 feet to 25 feet (6 to 8 m) high. ![]() SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket booster touches down on the company's drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas," on Dec.
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