SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a group of Starlink satellites on Sunday, July 24. It was the company's 33rd flight of 2022 and the sixth launch of the program in July alone.
Elon Musk's space firm launched 53 Starlink broadband satellites from Florida's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 9:38 am EDT.
The Falcon 9's first stage landed on the neighboring drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean at around eight minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff. NASA Space Flight explained that the drone ship was located some 650 kilometers northeast of Cape Canaveral, along with the support ship Doug.
Teslarati mentioned that SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket went well and soared past the moon. The video that SpaceX posted on Twitter shows the breathtaking perspective.
Falcon over the moon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2022
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Soars Above Moon to Deploy Starlink Rockets
The Falcon 9 has emerged from the clouds, and footage from the tracking camera shows that it appears to "soar above the moon" for Elon Musk on his Twitter account. According to the same Teslarati report, the Starlink launch comes after a successful attempt from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base last Friday.
The rocket's second stage swiftly sent the 46 Starlink satellites into orbit after the rocket "jumped over the moon."
According to TimeAndDate, the moon rose above San Luis Obispo, California, on Friday at 1:19 am local time and set at 3:36 pm. The distance from the launch location to San Luis Obispo is around 50 kilometers. The moon was 22.5 percent lit, as seen from Earth when the rocket took off that morning.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule on launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on November 09, 2021 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The rocket's first stage gently landed on a drone ship 8.5 minutes after launch, placing 46 Starlink satellites into orbit. It was the second attempt to put Starlink Group 3-2 into orbit after the Falcon 9 rocket aborted on Thursday (July 21) at T-46 seconds.
The latest satellites that makeup shell four include inter-satellite connectivity that will enable service in regions without land gateways, including ships and aircraft flying across seas. When the shell is finished, these services are anticipated to become live in the first half of 2023. More satellites in high-inclination orbits will be necessary for worldwide coverage at high latitudes. Satellites in Shell 3 at 97.6 degrees, recently launched from Vandenberg, will partially serve this duty.
ALSO READ: SpaceX Suddenly Aborts Falcon 9 Rocket Launch From Landing Zone 4 in Vandenberg Air Force Base
Starlink's Mission in Numbers
Starlink has successfully deployed 53 Starlink, according to SpaceX (via Twitter), which also highlighted that this is its sixth flight this month.
Currently, Starlink has orbited far over 2,000 distinct satellites. With today's flight, SpaceX completed its 33rd launch of 2022 and its sixth Starlink mission for July.
33rd successful mission of the year!
— Sahil Parmar 🚀 (@astro_sahil) July 24, 2022
Astonishing how regular SpaceX has made rocket launches. There were times when every launch was a big news & would hit head lines. Space is now for everyone. @elonmusk
Congrats to everyone involved.
According to Space.com, approximately 2,900 Starlink satellites have been launched as part of SpaceX's satellite Internet service. This month, Starlink Group 4-25 expands on earlier US east and west coast launches.
The business is attempting to speed up service. It has received a regulatory license to launch at least 12,000 Starlink satellites into orbit and is requesting permission from a global regulator to launch an additional 30,000 satellites.
RELATED ARTICLE: SpaceX to Reuse Dragon Spacecraft Fleet After Rocket Booster from NASA Crew-1 'Leaned'
Check out more news and information on SpaceX in Science Times.
