SpaceX begins launching V2 Mini Starlink satellites

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched the primary batch of its next-generation Starlink web satellites as the corporate upgrades and additional builds out its orbiting community.

A Falcon 9 rocket carried 21 of the satellites, referred to as “V2 Mini” satellites, into orbit on Monday. The satellites characterize the primary iteration of Starlink’s “Gen2” plans, which the Federal Communications Fee approved in December.

Musk shared a video of the V2 Mini satellites releasing from the rocket into orbit. Whereas launches of the corporate’s first-generation fashions carried about 50 to 60 satellites at a time, the brand new spacecraft are bigger and heavier than earlier than, which means every Falcon 9 launch carries fewer satellites. The corporate plans to finally use its Starship rocket, which is in improvement, for future second-generation Starlink missions.

Earlier than the launch, SpaceX highlighted the improved capabilities of the V2 Minis, corresponding to “extra highly effective phased array antennas” and “new argon Corridor thrusters” for maneuvering in orbit. The corporate stated the V2 Mini satellites add about 4 instances as a lot community capability per satellite tv for pc in contrast with prior iterations.

Notably, Monday additionally represented the a centesimal consecutive event that SpaceX has efficiently tried and landed a Falcon 9 rocket booster after a launch — a streak relationship again to Feb. 16, 2021. The corporate is conducting orbital rocket launches at an unprecedented fee, with a mission about each 4 days on common in 2023.

The corporate has launched about 4,000 Starlink satellites thus far, with its community reaching 1 million subscribers in December throughout quite a lot of product choices — with providers for residential, enterprise, RV, maritime and aviation clients.

Final week, SpaceX adjusted the pricing of its residential Starlink service based mostly on capability calls for.