SpaceX just added more satellites for its high-speed internet service Starlink. Elon Musk also announced that they are willing to support communication links in Gaza.
SpaceX Launches More Satellites For Starlink
On Sunday (Oct. 29) at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT; 2 a.m. local California time), SpaceX launched 22 Starlink broadband satellites into orbit from California. Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth for a vertical landing on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, which was positioned in the Pacific Ocean.
According to the mission summary, it was this rocket's first stage's ninth launch and landing. In the meantime, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 was supposed to release the 22 Starlink satellites roughly 62.5 minutes after liftoff.
The first of SpaceX's two launches is set for Sunday morning. On Sunday at 7:45 p.m., the corporation also intends to loft 23 Starlink vessels from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (23:45 GMT) EDT.
These two flights demonstrate the ongoing expansion of the Starlink broadband megaconstellation. Approximately 4,900 operational Starlink satellites are now in low Earth orbit, and SpaceX is authorized to launch 12,000 of the objects.
No terminals from Gaza have attempted to communicate with our constellation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023
SpaceX will support communication links with internationally recognized aid organizations.
Israel will use all means at its disposal to fight this.
— 🇮🇱שלמה קרעי - Shlomo Karhi (@shlomo_karhi) October 28, 2023
HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities. There is no doubt about it, we know it, and musk knows it. HAMAS is ISIS.
Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters,… https://t.co/pRNOlnINbZ
Elon Musk Says Starlink Will Support Gaza Communication Links
Elon Musk stated on Saturday that SpaceX's Starlink will facilitate communication links in Gaza with "internationally recognized aid organizations," which prompted Israel's communication minister to declare that Israel will oppose the decision.
Musk noted via X that "no terminal has requested a connection in that area." According to him, it is unclear who has authorization for ground links in Gaza, Musk noted.
On Saturday, an internet and phone blackout cut off the Gaza Strip's residents from the outside world and from one another. Calls to friends, family, or coworkers abroad were all but impossible as Israel expanded its air and ground assault.
The blackout, which started late on Friday, was blamed by international humanitarian organizations for escalating an already dire situation by hindering life-saving efforts and cutting off communication with their staff on the ground.
Reuters contacted SpaceX for comment on how it would make sure any Starlink connections were used by humanitarian organizations and not by Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip. SpaceX did not respond right away.
Israel's minister of information, Shlomo Karhi, responded to Musk's post on X by declaring that Israel "will use all means at its disposal to fight this."
"HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities," Karhi claimed. "Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them! By then, my office will cut any ties with starlink."
RELATED ARTICLE : Will The Sun Explode 5 Billion Years From Now? Probably, Experts Say!
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
