SpaceX Starlink Mission a Success, Musk Awarded Two More National Security Launches

Before sunrise on Thursday morning, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets launched, resulting in the successful deployment of Starlink internet satellites.

In addition to SpaceX's recent success, CEO Elon Musk bags two additional national security launches.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch

SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster rockets launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station a few minutes past 3 am ET.

In less than nine minutes, the Falcon's reusable 15-story first stage booster landed in the floating drone ship Just Read the Instructions, 400 miles down in the Atlantic Ocean.

Falcon 9's liftoff is the seventh SpaceX mission of the year and the 21st Starlink launch. Additionally, it was also Falcon 9 rockets 110th flight and the 76th SpaceX booster as of yet.

Roughly, an hour after the launch, the Starlink satellites were reportedly deployed, as the company posted on Twitter.

As of now, SpaceX has been able to launch more than 1,200 Starlink satellites. Despite some are no longer operational, the Starlink satellites are the largest artificial constellation of satellites.

Earlier, Musk teased faster internet connection for a few members of the public while SpaceX opened up access to the satellites to members of the public that were either on current or planned service, or signing up for pre-order reservations.

Starlink's goal is to launch tens of thousands more satellites up into orbit to build out coverage and increase network capacity and speed.

February 22, Elon Musk, CEO and founder of SpaceX tweeted that the Starlink constellation will provide coverage of most of the planet by 2020, while complete global coverage can be seen in 2022.

SpaceX's National Security Launches

SpaceX has recently secured two additional big-ticket missions for 2023 which will keep the space exploration company more than busy in the coming years.

The US Space Force awarded a pair of launch contracts to SpaceX and its competitor United Launch Alliance through the National Security Space Launch program.

According to the U.S Defense Department, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin (ULA) received more than $220 million for two space missions: USSD-112 and USSF-87. At the same time, SpaceX was awarded $159.7 million missions for USSD-36 and NROl-69.

NROL missions commonly involve payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office.

SpaceX and ULA were selected in August as the providers of the second phase of the launch programs, beating Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin.

The programs include roughly 30 missions over a five-year period, with SpaceX conducting 40% of the launches while ULA conducts the majority.

Through the program, three launches have been set due in 2022. Two of which are scheduled to launch from ULA and one by SpaceX.

Although details to future launches aren't definitive as of yet, both companies are renowned for their track record of national security missions, including the launch of spy satellites and the US military's space planes.

Check out more news and information on SpaceX on Science Times.