Starlink v1 0 L28 mission to complete first shell of satellites for worldwide coverage nasaspaceflight.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nasaspaceflight.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Wednesday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now
The launch of 60 more Starlink satellites Wednesday from Cape Canaveral could give SpaceX enough spacecraft to complete the first layer of its privately-funded global internet network, but the company shows no signs of slowing its launch cadence this summer.
With Wednesday’s launch, SpaceX has delivered 1,737 Starlink internet satellites to orbit. But that number includes prototypes and failed spacecraft no longer part of the operational constellation.
With oceans and unpopulated areas covering much of the globe, it’s statistically unlikely that a piece of falling space junk will land in someone’s suburban backyard. But there have been a handful of high-profile incidents.
Temperatures at the Cape is are expected to hover around 85 degrees Wednesday with a humidity of 50%. Some cumulus clouds should form, but the probability of rain will be low.
Wednesday s launch marks the 29th for the Starlink internet constellation, which currently has about 1,600 spacecraft on orbit, according to a database maintained by Harvard–Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell. SpaceX hopes to launch thousands more to provide even, worldwide internet coverage.
It also marks the last launch before June, a month expected to be packed with five missions, though schedules often shift.
SpaceX is hoping to launch four missions next month: a SiriusXM satellite and Cargo Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station in the first week; a Space Force GPS satellite sometime around mid-June; and a rideshare mission with several payloads before the end of the month.
China landed its Mars rover on the first try — here s what s next thenextweb.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenextweb.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.