SpaceX’s latest Starlink mission: All you need to know

SpaceX on Wednesday launched a fleet of 60 Starlink satellites. The Elon Musk-founded company lauched the fleet on its Falcon-9 rocket from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:34 pm (ET). 

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Watch the launch here:

You canalso  watch the trajectory of the rocket here:

Today’s launch, the Starlink 23 mission, was the 10th mission of the year 2021 and the company’s 24th overall for the internet service. 

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The Hawthorne, California-based company aims to provide high-speed internet across the world through a ‘constellation’ of Starlink satellites. 

The service will provide internet access to those living in rural and remote areas with little or no internet connectivity. 

SpaceX has so far launched over 1,300 Starlink satellites, out of an initially planned constellation of 1,440, into orbit. SpaceX has conducted thorough tests on the space-based internet service and has slated a full commercial rollout later this year. 

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The launch is also the workhorse rocket Falcon 9’s 113th flight. This particular rocket, designated B1058, previously carried NASA astraunauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, apart from conducting two other Starlink and a number of other missions. 

After stage separation, the rocket will land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, this will be the 79th recovery of a first-stage booster since SpaceX’s December, 2015 launch.