In less than twelve hours after it stood down from a crewed NASA launch, SpaceX conducted its first launch of second generation Starlink satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch cleared up confusion around SpaceX's plans to upgrade its satellite internet consetllation, after the FCC granted the firm approval to launch the new spacecraft to orbit in December last year. SpaceX's Falcon 9 also landed for the 100th consecutive time off the Florida coast in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the company's 13th launch for the year.
SpaceX Shares Details About New Starlink Satellites With Brand New Thrusters
SpaceX had applied to the FCC to secure approval for launching tens of thousands of second generation Starlink satellites as part of its plans to build the Starlink satellite internet constellation rapidly. These plans became controversial last year when it decided to upgrade the application and add Starship as a potential launch vehicle as well alongside the Falcon 9. SpaceX had proposed two launch configurations, mutually exclusive, through which it would either use the Falcon 9 or Starship to build the internet constellation.
Today's launch was SpaceX's 212 overall mission so far and the 13th launch of 2023. Additonally it also marked the 100th time that the company successfully landed the Falcon 9 rocket - setting a new world record in the process. The rocket lifted off from the Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveal Space Force Station in Florida at 6:13 pm eastern time Florida.
Within a minute, the rocket had gone supersonic as it accelerated and traveled faster than the speed of sound. The launch also provided spectacular visuals, as the sunset created the perfect lighting combination at lfitoff and as the Falcon 9 soared to the sky.
A minute and a half after it went supersonic, the Falcon 9's engines were shut down, and its first and second stages separated from each other. Then, less than a minute later, the second stage's fairings separated successfully. SpaceX had reused the fairings on the mission two, with both halves marking their second flight.
The Falcon 9's second stage then continued the journey for six and a half minutes, after which its engine shut down as SpaceX confirmed suceesfull parking orbit insertion. Just before this, the Falcon 9 had landed successfully, for the rocket's 174th overall landing and its 100th successful consecutive landing.
The satellites were launched in a batch of 21 and were the first, second generation spacecraft to be launched. According to SpaceX, these satellites have four times the capacity of the earlier spacecraft, and they are also larger than their predecessors.
A little over three hours after liftof, SpaceX chief Mr. Elon Musk confirmed that the new satellites had reached orbit. Mr. Musk shared a brief video of the satellites separating from their adapter in space. The V2 Mini satellites also use new Argon-based Hall-Effect thrusters to move them into space. SpaceX revealed that the new thrusters can generate 170 millinewtons of thrust, weighs 21 kilograms and have a 2,500 second specific impulse.
The video footage showed the spacecraft successfully making their way into orbit, with the curve of the Earth clearly visible in the background.
You can take a look at it below:
First Starlink v2 satellites reach orbit pic.twitter.com/0l08568mJ9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2023
The post Elon Musk Shares Stunning Views Of New Satellites Hundreds of Kilometers Above Earth by Ramish Zafar appeared first on Wccftech.
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