With the successful third test flight of Starship just a few days prior, SpaceX expanded its network by adding 23 more Starlink satellites.
A Falcon 9 launched a second set of Starlink satellites into orbit at 8:21 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two prior attempts at launching, which resulted in scrubs when the countdown approached t – two minutes, preceded this effort. Teams from SpaceX promised to examine the cradle arms of the transporter erector and perform any repairs.
With a 43-degree orbital inclination, the 23 satellites were launched on a South Easterly course. Over the following two months, this batch, designated Group 6-44, will start elevating itself to their operational orbits and undergoing checkouts while in orbit.
SpaceX has now completed 25 missions this year, 15 of which have been focused Starlink launches.
According to Jonathan McDowell’s Starlink tracking site, SpaceX has now launched 6,011 Starlinks into orbit, of which 5,614 are still in orbit and 5,131 are in their operational orbit. Out of those satellites, Groups 5, 6, and 7 comprise 1,967 Gen 2 small Starlink satellites, some of which are still in the process of reaching their operational orbit.
Forty-five days ago, on Booster 1062, a Falcon 9, this last batch of Starlink satellites was launched into orbit. This mission was also a Starlink mission, and SpaceX now routinely launches Starlink satellites using its seasoned rockets.
After liftoff, the rocket touched down safely on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” after around eight and a half minutes.
At this point, B1062 and B1061, as flight leaders, have flown 19 times each. B1062 has safely sent 8 people into orbit together with 528 different payloads.
The next project for SpaceX is a new batch of Starlink satellites, which will launch from California on March 18 at the latest.