SpaceX has delivered another 60 Starlink satellites to orbit meaning it has sent 180 in total to join its 1,000+ strong constellation in the past two weeks alone. Today’s launch also set a record for SpaceX for its Falcon 9 rocket reusability program, since it was the ninth flight and ninth landing for this particular first-stage booster.
he satellites are part of growing Starlink constellation, which SpaceX is building to provide internet connectivity to rural areas on Earth. The company has permission to launch 12,000 satellites as part of the project, and has more than 1,000 in orbit so far.
Starlink also has some 10,000 users in the beta program it launched last year. The Starlink kit, which comes with a router and antenna, costs $499, with a monthly subscription of $99 for internet speeds between 70 and 130 Mbps. The company opened pre-orders for Starlink in the US, Canada, and UK last month, with a $99 deposit fee.
Sunday’s launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center was the second in the past few days for SpaceX, which sent another of its Falcon 9 rockets skyward from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday. That launch also brought 60 satellites into orbit. The next Starlink launch is tentatively scheduled for March 21st, from Cape Canaveral.
