SpaceX is preparing to launch its second Starlink Gen2 mission, which is scheduled for January 26th at 4:32 am EST (09:32 UTC). The company performed a successful test of the Falcon 9 rocket that will be used for the launch and has not disclosed the mission's specific purpose.
However, it has been confirmed that the launch will carry 56 satellites, potentially making it the heaviest payload the company has ever launched. The shorthand "sl5-2" used in an official website URL also suggests that this will be the second launch for SpaceX's Starlink Gen2 satellite constellation.
The number of 56 satellites for the upcoming Starlink launch is not a new record for SpaceX. The company has previously launched a much larger number of satellites, such as 143 in a single rideshare mission, and also regularly launched 60 Starlink satellites per launch in the past. Moreover, these previous Starlink launches were using the first version (V1.0) of the spacecraft, which was heavier than the current Gen2 versions.
Gen2 Satellites Deployment
During the latter half of 2021, SpaceX began launching the new version of Starlink satellites, V1.5, which have been outfitted with laser links and other upgrades. The new satellites weigh between 303-309 kg each. Due to the heavier design, the number of satellites that can be launched permission has been reduced to 54, compared to the 60 V1.0 satellites that were launched previously.
While the number of satellites in each launch may have decreased, the overall mass of the payload has increased. The previous payload mass record for a Falcon 9 launch was broken by SpaceX in August 2022 when it launched 54 Starlink V1.5 satellites, weighing 16.7 tons, which is an increase of around 3% compared to the previous record of 16.25 tons. This is even though the earlier version of Starlink V1.0 payloads with 60 satellites weighed around 15.6 tons.
In a series of tweets, SpaceX has announced plans to launch 56 Starlink satellites, which are believed to be the heavier V1.5 variant, at once. This would increase the payload weight to between 16.97 and 17.3 tons if the weight of each satellite has not been reduced. The launch, named Starlink 5-2, is targeting the same orbit as Starlink 5-1, which carried 54 satellites, following a Teslarati report.
56 Starlink Satellites
The increase in payload weight is likely due to further improvements made to the Falcon 9 rocket, as SpaceX gains more experience and confidence in its capabilities. The company has been able to optimize the timing of launch events, increase performance limits and reduce margins, resulting in a 10% improvement in performance, from 15.6 to around 17 tons, over the past two years.
The Starlink 5-2 launch continues the confusion surrounding the company's Starlink Gen2 satellite launches, as the naming scheme implies that they are a continuation of the company's previous constellation, Starlink Gen1, but SpaceX has confirmed that they are the first Starlink Gen2 satellites. The fact that SpaceX is launching 54 (and now 56) satellites also confirms that they are likely the same V1.5 satellites that the company has been launching for the past 18 months.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has previously stated that the company could face financial difficulties if it couldn't begin launching much larger Starlink V2.0 satellites on its Starship rocket soon. However, the company is currently doing the opposite and is using smaller, Gen1-sized satellites to populate its Starlink Gen2 constellation. It is unclear when SpaceX will begin launching the larger Starlink V2.0 satellites that were intended to be the mainstay of the Gen2 constellation.
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