On January 7, 2024, the skies over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida witnessed a momentous event as SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 rocket embarked on its mission to deploy 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. The launch, which took place at 5:35 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), marked a significant milestone in SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to expand its Starlink constellation.
Futuramic’s Chris Clark, was on hand to document the launch, capturing stunning images of the Falcon 9 as it soared into the heavens. This mission, the 16th flight for the first stage booster, showcased the remarkable reusability of SpaceX’s rocket technology, having previously supported a series of missions including CRS-22, Crew-3, and Turksat 5B, among others.
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- Image credit: Futuramic / Chris Clark
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- Image credit: Futuramic / Chris Clark
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- Image credit: Futuramic / Chris Clark
About Falcon 9
“Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Falcon 9 is the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket. Reusability allows SpaceX to refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access.” – via SpaceX
About Starlink
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, an American aerospace company. Launched in 2019, Starlink aims to provide internet coverage to over 70 countries and global mobile broadband services after 2023. The constellation comprises over 5,289 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) as of early January 2024, communicating with designated ground transceivers. Plans are in place to deploy nearly 12,000 satellites, with a possible extension to 42,000. In December 2022, SpaceX announced surpassing 1 million subscribers, followed by 1.5 million subscribers in May 2023, and reaching 2 million subscribers by September 2023. Starlink utilizes Ku-, Ka-, and E-band phased array antennas, laser transponders in some units, and Hall-effect thrusters. It operates in both low Earth orbit and sun-synchronous orbit, marking a significant advancement in satellite-based internet services.
SpaceX
Website: www.spacex.com
Twitter: @SpaceX
Instagram: instagram.com/SpaceX/