SpaceX launched a space tug along with another large batch of Starlink internet satellites on Sunday night (September 4), and also landed a rocket on a ship at sea.
a space x A Falcon 9 rocket launched Sunday from Space Force Station Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast carrying 51 people. star link Internet satellite in orbit.
Starlink Group 4-20 also carried the Sherpa-LTC2, a space tug provided by Seattle-based Spaceflight. The tug carries the payload for Boeing’s Varuna Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM). This is “intended to test his V-band communications of a proposed constellation of 147 non-geostationary broadband satellites”. According to SpaceNews (opens in new tab).
The first Sherpa-LTC orbital transfer vehicle has been removed from the SpaceX launch opportunity in January 2022 due to a propellant leak, SpaceNews added.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink megaconstellation launches in photos
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Sunday’s flight plan called for SpaceX to bring its first phase falcon 9 Return the rocket to Earth for a soft touchdown to the drone Just Lead the Instruction, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. His seventh landing of this particular booster took place about 8.5 minutes after launch, as planned.
Sherpa-LTC2 deployed from the upper stage of Falcon 9 about 49 minutes after launch, Starlinks following 23 minutes later, SpaceX check on twitter (opens in new tab).
SpaceX has already sent over 3,000 Starlink satellites into orbit to create a giant constellation for broadband services targeting remote locations. SpaceX has already launched over 25 Starlink-centric missions in 2022.
Sunday’s launch marked SpaceX’s 40th launch of the year and continued to add to the Starlink megaconstellation. SpaceX has approved the launch of 12,000 of his Starlink satellites, and he is asking international regulators to approve the launch of 30,000.
Founder and CEO of SpaceX in late August Elon Musk announced plans to work with T-Mobile to connect directly to smartphones using Starlink.In another deal announced on Tuesday (August 30), the Starlink service Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship.
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