SpaceX launches two batches of Starlink satellites less than 30 hours apart
SpaceX continues to expand its achievements in the space industry, setting a new record with two rocket launches in two consecutive days. The company successfully sent another batch of its Starlink Internet satellites into orbit on Thursday and Friday, completing its 90th and 91st orbital missions in 2023.
The first launch took place on Thursday, December 7, at 12:07 p.m. EDT (05:07 GMT, 07:07 Kyiv time) from Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites successfully landed 8.5 minutes after launch on the drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
The next day, on Friday, December 8, at 3:03 a.m. EDT (08:03 GMT; 00:03 local time in California, 10:03 a.m. Kyiv time), the second launch took place from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Falcon 9 with 22 Starlink satellites also successfully completed its mission. The first stage of the rocket landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You”, which was located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
In fact, 26 hours and 56 minutes passed between launches.
Both launches demonstrated the reliability and reusability of the Falcon 9 first stage, with the ninth (B1077) and thirteenth (B1071) successful landings, respectively.
These launches are part of SpaceX’s ambitious mission to expand the Starlink network, a large and growing mega constellation of broadband satellites that already has more than 5,100 active satellites. SpaceX is authorized to launch up to 12,000 Starlink satellites and has applied for an additional 30,000.
With each launch, SpaceX sets a new record for the number of flights, surpassing its previous annual record of 61 launches set last year. This year, it has already completed 91 successful missions. The company plans to further increase its pace, announcing a goal of 144 launches in 2024.
