More than 2,500 SpaceX satellites launched
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base to add another 53 Starlink satellites to SpaceX’s low Earth orbit communications constellation, bringing the total launched to more than 2,500. The addition of another 53 satellites brings the total launched up to 2,547.
The successful launch took place from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the west-coast launch site and entered a 53.2-degree orbit. The first-generation Starlink constellation will consist of 4,408 satellites.
Heading south-southeast, the kerosene-burning engines shut off two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, then the booster disconnected from the Falcon 9 second stage. The second stage’s single engine lit to accelerate the 53 Starlink satellites into orbit, while the booster descended to a propulsive landing on SpaceX’s floating drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.
Before the launch, 2,494 satellites had been launched. This number includes over 240 that have already been decommissioned, failed after deployment, or rejected during on-orbit testing. The launch took place as Starlink announced that Greece and Hungary had been added to the countries served by Starlink’s broadband-by-satellite service.
The 4,400 satellites will be spread among five different orbital “shells” at different altitudes and inclinations. After separation from the Falcon 9 rocket, the Starlink satellites were programmed to unfurl solar panels and activate krypton-fueled ion thrusters to begin raising their orbits to an operational altitude of 335 miles (540 kilometers).
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