CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX plans to launch its second Starlink mission of the month tonight (March 9), as it expands its growing Internet satellite mega-constellation, and you can watch the action live online.
The private space company plans to fly one of its Falcon 9 rockets for the Starlink mission for the sixth time. The two-phase launcher will kick off from Space Launch Complex 40 at 21:58 EST (0258 10 GMT) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
You can watch the launch here live and on the Space.com homepage, with permission from SpaceX, starting about 15 minutes before the setup. You can also watch the launch directly via SpaceX.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink mega constellation is introduced in photos
SpaceX continues its rapid launch pace, set last year when the company launched a record 26 times. The flight tonight is the company’s seventh launch in 2021, with at least one more Starlink mission planned for March.
Forecasters with the U.S. Air Force Squadron reported that the initial weather looks promising for Tuesday night’s uplift, with a 90% chance of favorable weather. The only effect is to turn off winds and cumulus clouds.
If necessary, there is an attempt to back up on Wednesday, with weather forecasts dropping slightly to 80% of good launch conditions.
Nice weather is also forecast outside, which is good news for one of SpaceX’s two drones – “Just read the instructions” – hoping to catch the booster when it returns to Earth. If successful, the landing will be the 76th recovery for SpaceX since the company landed its first booster in 2015. And will be the second catch in a row for SpaceX lost a booster in February.
SpaceX relies heavily on its fleet of veteran rockets, which has enabled SpaceX to keep pace with its launch ambitions. However, industry officials stressed that while resilience is beneficial, the main goal of each mission is to deliver the payload successfully in space.
The amplifier doing the uplift in this mission is a five-time kite, which wants to make its sixth launch and landing attempt. B1058, the first phase made its debut by launch two astronauts to the International Space Station in May 2020.
Following the historic mission, he transported a communications satellite for the South Korean army, a cargo dragon spacecraft full of research and supplies for the space station. most satellites ever launched on a single mission (Transporter-1), and today’s flight will be his second Starlink payload.
The flight is also one of the shortest transit times between booster flights for SpaceX. B1058 last flew on 24 January and just 45 days later struck again from the same launch site – a record for a sixth reflight from a booster. (The previous record was 59 days.)
During a news conference on the upcoming Crew-2 mission, starting on April 22, Benji Reed of SpaceX briefly discussed the refurbishment process. “We learn something about reuse after each mission,” he said. This learning process has helped the company refine its procedures and reduce times between flights.
This particular flight, Starlink 20, is the 21st set of Internet radiation satellites delivered by SpaceX into space, including a set of initial prototypes in 2019. SpaceX’s initial constellation will contain 1,440 satellites, and the company is well on its way to achieving that. milestone.
But SpaceX does not stop there. The company has been granted permission to launch up to 30,000 satellites, with the option for more at a later date.
The stack of 60 broadband satellites will join the fleet already in orbit, which has launched the total number more than 1,200. (The number contains prototypes of the satellites that are no longer in service.) With SpaceX rapidly filling its initial constellation, the company is moving closer to providing commercial Internet service through the Starlink network. As such, he plans a full commercial implementation later this year.
It starts after an extensive beta test program that includes both employees and the public. The “better than nothingA beta testing program started in 2019 and has already connected thousands of users.
Some of the users include people in remote areas who currently have little or no internet service, such as the Pikangikum tribe in Canada. Starlink terminal was delivered at the booking at the end of November and has better access to education, health care service as well as contact with friends and family.
Students in Wise County, Virginia, are also now better connected, thanks to Starlink terminals that arrived earlier this year. About 40% of the families in the area have no access to the internet, which made learning all the more difficult during the pandemic. The provincial board of supervisors worked with SpaceX to provide free internet service to at least 40 families, and the project later expanded to more families.
Prior to launching an official launch, the company recently launched its website for pre-orders, allowing for a limited number of users per area. If interested, potential customers can via the company’s Starlink website and secure service by depositing a deposit. The website does say that it may take a few months before the service becomes active.
Fair repair
SpaceX’s dynamic thinning duo, GO Ms Tree and GO Ms Chief, are still on the sidelines and are being maintained in Port Canaveral. As such, GO Searcher and GO Navigator were sent to the planned recovery site.
The two boats, which typically support Dragan missions, can create the tubs out of the water, enabling SpaceX to proceed with plans to repair and reuse the tubs. For this particular mission, both pieces have flown before. With any luck, they will fly again.
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