SpaceX announces 22 additional Starlink satellites launched in orbit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Jun 2023 23:00

The second Falcon 9 launch of the day was postponed to Monday due to high winds in the Atlantic recovery zone.

The exterior of SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California as seen on July 22, 2018. (AFP)

As part of its mission to provide satellite Internet access coverage across the world, SpaceX said on Sunday that it launched 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral in Florida earlier today.

"On Sunday, June 4 at 8:20 a.m. ET [12:20 GMT], Falcon 9 launched 22 second-generation Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40)," the company said.

The first Falcon 9 medium-lift rocket returned to a drone ship located at sea, called Just Read the Instructions, marking the third successful launch and landing for this Falcon 9 booster.

The second Falcon 9 launch of the day was postponed to Monday due to high winds in the Atlantic recovery zone.

The rocket was due to send a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

"The instantaneous launch window is at 11:47 a.m. ET (15:47 UTC) and a backup launch opportunity is available on Wednesday, June 7 at 11:01 a.m. ET (15:01 UTC) pending range approval," it said.

The rocket will be carrying a Dragon spacecraft containing more than 7,000 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and hardware to the orbital outpost under NASA’s second commercial resupply services contract with SpaceX.

Photo's Of SpaceX's Successful Launch And Landing Of The Falcon 9 Block 5 Rocket, With The Starlink Group 6-4 Mission.🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/2yLMbJ8MUg
— The Welsh Astronaut. (@TheWAstronaut) June 4, 2023

On April 20, Starship exploded as it conducted its first test launch after its Super Heavy rocket system successfully left the launch pad in Starbase, Texas.

In reaction to the event, SpaceX chief Elon Musk stated that the explosion was "quite small", adding that he expects the next try to be in "six to eight weeks."

The explosion of the first Starship rocket was not a major setback in the way SpaceX operates, since the business is hardware wealthy and has a large number of rockets ready to go for additional testing when repairs are made, according to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.