Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched its fourth group of Starlink satellites into orbit with the Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Wednesday morning.
60 satellites were in this batch that will be added to the huge constellation in Earth’s orbit, which is already comprised of 180 satellites. The Starlink project is part of a goal from SpaceX to bring internet coverage to every corner on the planet, according to Space.com.
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SpaceX plans on launching 24 Starlink missions in 2020 and is currently allowed to release 12,000 satellites for the project overall – but they have shared their interest in wanting to launch 30,000 more. It is reported by The Verge that SpaceX needs to launch 6,000 satellites within the next five to six years for licensing obligations.
Musk previously said for “moderate” broadband coverage on Earth, there need to be 800 operational satellites.
“In a year and a half, maybe two years, if things go well, SpaceX will probably have more satellites in orbit than all other satellites combined — a majority of the satellites in orbit will be SpaceX,” Musk said during a prelaunch teleconference, as reported by Space.com.
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Last spring, SpaceX attempted the first-ever triple rocket landing during Falcon Heavy’s first commercial mission, and stuck the landing. For more space news, watch how NASA’s new Black Hole simulation literally mimics how gravity warps light.
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Jessie Wade is Homepage Editor at IGN and loves astronomy. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade.
Source: IGN.com SpaceX Successfully Launches 60 More Starlink Satellites Into Orbit