This time 49 microsatellites will be launched into low Earth orbit
NEW YORK, January 7. /tass/. SpaceX on Thursday launched a Falcon 9 rocket with another group of Starlink microsatellites. The broadcast is conducted on the company's website.
The launch from the Cape Canaveral cosmodrome (Florida) took place at 16:49 local time (00:49 Moscow time on January 7). This time, 49 microsatellites will be launched into low Earth orbit.
The first stage of the rocket was previously used for three launches. SpaceX employees intend to return this Falcon 9 element to Earth again. It is expected that after the launch, the stage will automatically descend smoothly to a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. This technology allows the company to reduce the cost of regular launches.
The Starlink network is designed to provide Internet access by deploying a large number of devices weighing 260 kg. According to SpaceX, the launch of a total of 11 thousand satellites and their commissioning will cost $ 10 billion. The company assures that it will be able to provide broadband Internet with a traffic speed of 1 gigabit per second, which corresponds to the 5G standard. Since May 2019, SpaceX has already launched more than 1,9 thousand Starlink satellites into orbit.
