Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) set a new record today as it launched the heaviest payload on the Falcon 9 rocket in history. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is currently the only medium lift rocket that is capable of landing, and it has become the company’s workhorse for a wide variety of missions such as its Starlink satellite launches, astronaut launches, cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and missions for other companies. Today’s launch took place from Launch Complex 40 in the United States Space Force’s Cape Canaveral station in Florida in the early hours of the morning.
SpaceX Tests Falcon 9’s Limits At It Starts Launching New Satellites
Today’s launch was the second launch of what are likely to be predecessors to SpaceX’s second generation Starlink satellites These spacecraft, of which SpaceX aims to launch a massive 30,000 in space, have been a source of controversy at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC, as not only have SpaceX’s rivals questioned the number of satellites, but criticized its plans to use the Starsship to launch the Gen2 satellites.
SpaceX’s plans, which call for using either the Falcon 9 (Configuration 2) or Starship (Configuration 1) to launch the satellites, secured partial approval from the Commission in December when it was allowed to launch 7,500 satellites. Regulatory filings followed this in mid-December by the company, which informed the FCC that SpaceX planned to launch the new satellites before the year ended. Then, SpaceX’s final Starlink launch of the year saw the firm launch satellites which it described in the live stream as:
While today is our final Starlink mission of the year, it’s the first of Starlink’s upgraded network. Under our new license, we are now able to deploy satellites to new orbits that will add even more capacity to our network.
The Earth’s horizon is visible from SpaceX’s Starlink 5-2 launch on January 26, 2023. Image: SpaceX
Today’s launch was SpaceX’s 205th mission, its sixth mission for the year, the second launch of the new satellites and the second Starlink launch in 2023. The previous launch took place a week back, but it was for a different batch of satellites. While SpaceX had committed to the Commission in January 2022 that it would stick with Configuration 1 for the Starlink launches, filings made after the initial 7,500 satellite approval indicated that the Falcon 9 would also be used for these new satellites.
With these details in mind, both launches of the new spacecraft have seen SpaceX increase the number of spacecraft launched permission. This mission flew 56 satellites to orbit, which weighed 17,400 kilograms – a new record for its Falcon 9 rocket. The earliest Starlink launches had seen SpaceX launch more than 60 satellites each launch.
The payload weight increase also comes as SpaceX ramps up progress with Starship testing. After conducting a wet dress rehearsal earlier this week, SpaceX has detached the Starship by removing the second stage from the first stage. According to the company, this is a crucial development, as it will open the way for perhaps the most critical test in Starship development.
This test is a static fire of the 33 Raptor 2 engines that will generate close to 17 million pounds of thrust to power the world’s largest rocket. Progress on Starship development has picked up the pace over the past few months, with SpaceX’s plans calling for a Moon landing later this year.
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