UNITED STATES: On Sunday night (September 4), SpaceX launched a space tug and a significant number of its Starlink internet satellites into orbit, as well as a rocket that touched down on a ship at sea. The Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida saw the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 51 Starlink broadband satellites into orbit.
Sherpa-LTC2, a space tug sponsored by the Seattle-based business Spaceflight, was also on board with Starlink Group 4-20.
According to sources, the tug is transporting a payload for Boeing’s proposed constellation of 147 non-geostationary broadband satellites, called Varuna Technology Demonstration Mission (Varuna-TDM), which “aims to demonstrate V-band communications” .The first Sherpa-LTC orbital transfer vehicle’s intended mission in January 2022 had to be cancelled by SpaceX due to a fuel leak.
The first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to land on the drone ship softly Just Read the Instructions, which was located in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Sunday mission plan. As expected, this launcher’s seventh landing occurred 8.5 minutes after the launch.
The American spacecraft manufacturer announced on Twitter that Sherpa-LTC2 and Starlinks successfully deployed from the Falcon 9’s upper stage 49 and 23 minutes after liftoff, respectively.
SpaceX has already put more than 3,000 Starlink satellites into orbit as part of its ambition to create a vast constellation for internet service targeted at remote locations. Just in 2022, the company launched more than 25 flights with a Starlink focus.
The 40th launch by SpaceX this year took place on Sunday, and it added to the Starlink mega constellation. The company has been permitted to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites, and it has requested a global authority for permission to launch a further 30,000.
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, revealed plans to use Starlink and T-Mobile to beam connectivity directly to cellphones in late August. Starlink service will be beamed to Royal Caribbean cruise ships under a separate agreement announced on Tuesday, August 30.
Also Read: NASA and SpaceX Plans for More Crew Flights to Space Station
