Continuing its vision of providing broadband Internet connection across the globe, SpaceX will be sending another batch of Starlink satellites plus two more payloads Saturday evening, May 15.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry 52 of the latest Starlink satellites, a Synthetic Aperture (SAR) satellite from Capella Space, and a Tyvak-0130 minisat from the California aerospace company Tyvak.
The latest SpaceX launch is set to take place at the Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Should all go as planned, the launch is at 6:56 PM EDT, with a backup opportunity set on Sunday, May 16, at 6:33 PM EDT.
The Latest in Partially Reusable Rockets
As a partially reusable two-stage rocket, the Falcon 9 set for launch this Saturday evening will be using parts previously used in earlier launches. In its news release, SpaceX announces that the first stage booster that will be used in this flight is the same one that "previously launched NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and three Starlink missions." Additionally, once the first stage detaches from the rest of the rocket, it will be maneuvered to land on the "Of Course I Still Love You," the droneship waiting on standby in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Additionally, one-half of the Falcon 9 fairing - the protective cover on top of the rocket to keep payloads safe - has been previously used in the SXM-7 mission, which aimed to deliver radio content as requested by the media provider SiriusXM. The other half of the fairing was also previously used in an NROL-108 mission from the National Reconnaissance Office.
Carrying Satellites for DIfferent Applications
The Starlink satellite constellation had already launched a total of 1,565 members into space before this latest batch, including its pair of demo sats Tintin A and Tintin B, launched last 2018 to test the developmental technologies that will be used in the subsequent launches.
Plans to create a communication satellite network that would provide global Internet access was first announced in January 2015, with Elon Musk announcing that there remains a significant unmet demand for "low-cost global broadband capabilities."
Its first payload, aside from the Starlink satellites, the Capella Synthetic Aperture Radar, is a part of a growing satellite constellation by Capella Space that provides 24-hour monitoring of the Earth's weather. According to its webpage, the night-vision-equipped satellites are capable of penetrating atmospheric conditions that allow "near real-time visibility in cloud covered areas, both day and night."
On the other hand, details on the specifications or mission of the Tyvak-0130 minisatellite remains scarce, other than the fact that it was developed by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, an aeronautics company in Irvine, California. However, Space Flight Now reveals that a document from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that Tyvak was approved in 2019 to "operate a private, space-based, remote sensing system named Tyvak 0130."
Read also: Starlink vs. OneWeb Space Satellite: What's The Difference? Which Offers Faster Internet?
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