SpaceX today successfully launched another 60 Starlink Internet satellites for a total of 1,145, bringing it close to its initial target of 1,440. In a rare fog, however, the Falcon 9’s first stage booster did not land on the drone ship “Of course I still love you”, and presumably rather fell into the sea. “It’s a shame we did not repair this booster, but our second phase is still on a nominal trajectory,” said SpaceX engineer Jessica Anderson.
SpaceX has not yet said what happened to the booster (B1059, RIP), but it was apparently a problem near the end of the landing. It has already flown two ISS supply missions, launched a US spy satellite and Argentina’s Earth-observing satellite, and strengthened a new Starlink mission. While B1059 could not get its sixth mission home, SpaceX has always said that the primary launch mission is the key and that the landings are more or less a bonus.
Despite the failure, SpaceX may launch another 60 Starlink satellites as early as Wednesday. Elon Musk said about 500-800 satellites need to be in orbit before the Internet service can begin. While the initial target was about 1,440 satellites, SpaceX eventually plans to launch a total of 12,000.
Public beta testing for Starlink Internet began in late 2020 for people in the US, Canada and the UK, with more than 10,000 customers using the service within three months, according to a SpaceX FCC submission. SpaceX has started taking $ 99 deposits for the service and recently told the Australian government that by 2022 they would be able to cover the main continent in early 2021 and remote areas.