0
0
SpaceX Launches Another Set of Starlink Satellites
SpaceX is preparing to launch 20 additional Starlink internet satellites on the evening of May 8, marking the second part of a spaceflight doubleheader for the company. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink craft, 13 of which are equipped to provide direct service to cell phones, is scheduled to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch window is set to open at 10:48 p.m. EDT (7:48 p.m. local California time; 0248 GMT on May 9).
The launch will be livestreamed by SpaceX’s X account, beginning approximately five minutes before the scheduled liftoff. Following a successful launch, the Falcon 9’s first stage is expected to return to Earth about eight minutes later. The landing will take place on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You,” located in the Pacific Ocean. This mission will mark the fourth launch and landing for this particular first stage, according to information provided by SpaceX.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9’s upper stage will proceed to carry the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). Approximately 61.5 minutes after liftoff, these satellites will be deployed into their designated positions. This launch follows a previous Starlink mission earlier in the day, where 23 satellites were launched into LEO from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Spaceflight Doubleheaders Becoming Common for SpaceX
Conducting back-to-back spaceflights has become a regular occurrence for SpaceX. In a similar instance on March 30, the company completed two missions within hours of each other. These missions included launching a Starlink batch and deploying the Eutelsat 36D telecommunications satellite, both from Florida’s Space Coast.
Image/Photo credit: source url
