SpaceX Launches Its 60th Mission Of 2022; Check Out The Highlights

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SpaceX Launches Its 60th Mission Of 2022; Check Out The Highlights
Photo Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX has launched its 60th mission of 2022, and the company doesn’t plan on stopping. The space firm launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

 

SpaceX also live-streamed the early stages of the launch. The rocket was loaded with 54 Starlink internet satellites. After several minutes of launch, the rocket dropped the first-stage booster, which landed back on Earth.

 

Deploying Starlink Sats In New Orbit

Around eight minutes into the launch, the first-stage booster landed perfectly on a SpaceX drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The booster will be brought back to land, checked for damages, refurbished, and will be sent on another mission.

This was the 11th launch and landing for this Falcon 9 first-stage booster, which previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, and six Starlink missions.

SpaceX said the latest launch was the first to follow a new license that will enable the space firm to deploy its Starlink internet satellites to new orbits. This will allow SpaceX to make its network more robust.

Reaching More Potential Consumers

The launch of new satellites will make it easier for the space firm to add more Starlink customers and provide faster and seamless broadband services, especially in areas that are witnessing subscription, SpaceX explained. The company still has one more mission in the pipeline, which will take the launch tally to a record 61 for 2022, almost double the numbers achieved last year.

This year’s missions leveraged SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Only one mission used its more powerful Falcon Heavy rocket to deploy two classified satellites for the US Space Force in November. The company announced a new project dubbed Starshield -- a satellite project specifically crafted for “government use." The new satellite will take advantage of the existing Starlink constellation.

The year 2023 will witness a huge surge in launches too. SpaceX will be shifting focus on the first test of its next-gen Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft that is expected to carry out missions to the lunar surface and beyond.

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