Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced on September 5 that it had successfully launched 51 more Starlink satellites into space, completing its 40th mission of the year.
From Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the Falcon 9 rocket launched 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight’s Sherpa-LTC into orbit.
“Deployment of 51 Starlink satellites confirmed, completing SpaceX’s 40th mission so far this year! Deployment of Spaceflightas Sherpa-LTC confirmed,” the company said in a tweet.
The Sherpa-LTC orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) carries a customer payload from Spaceflight (as part of Boeing’s Varuna Technology Demonstration Mission) that will test V-band communications for a future constellation of 147 non-geostationary broadband satellites.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 will be delivered at height of 310 kilometres above Earth
Sherpa-LTC will be delivered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 at a height of 310 kilometres above Earth. The Sherpa-LTC will then maneuver to its designated 1,000-kilometer circular orbit, where it will be tested for two years, using its onboard high-thrust propulsion system.
Musk stated last week that SpaceX is now launching Starlink satellites nearly every five days and plans to launch 100 orbital missions by 2023.
According to Musk, SpaceX is now launching rockets every five days, which will help the company easily meet its target.
Broken own record for most annual launches
SpaceX has already broken its own record for the most annual launches (31) and now plans to more than double that number.
SpaceX launched 54 more Starlink broadband satellites into orbit late last month and landed a rocket on a ship at sea.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean Group has become the first company in the world to use SpaceX Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency Internet services to improve the onboard experience for guests and crew.
The broadband internet service will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of the brands.
The installation is slated to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
