SpaceX Launches its 80th Orbital Mission With 23 Starlink Internet Satellites
SpaceX has made another successful launch. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted another 23 SpaceX Starlink Internet satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday, 8 November, at 12:05 a.m. ET (05:05 GMT).
After the launch, the first reusable stage of the launch vehicle made a controlled vertical landing on the Just Read the Instructions offshore drone platform in the Atlantic. According to the mission description, this was the 11th launch and landing of the first stage of this rocket.
The new 23 Starlink satellites were deployed from the upper stage of the Falcon 9 in low Earth orbit just under 65 minutes after lift-off.
These launches are aimed at creating the Starlink mega constellation, which provides internet services to customers around the world.
According to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, there are currently more than 5,000 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit.
As a reminder, in September, the US Senate Armed Services Committee investigated national security concerns over Elon Musk's decision not to expand his private Starlink satellite network to help Ukraine counter Russian warships off the coast of Crimea.
Former US Deputy Secretary of Defence Colin Kahl addressed Musk after reports that the Ukrainian military was losing access to the Starlink internet service when entering Russian-occupied territories.
For months, Musk's space exploration company SpaceX has been providing Internet access throughout Ukraine via the Starlink network. This contributed to the strategic planning and defence capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, Ukrainian soldiers discovered that their connection was disrupted when they entered the Russian-occupied territories.
The situation became even more alarming when SpaceX issued an ultimatum to the Pentagon. If the Pentagon did not cover the cost of services in Ukraine, which the company estimates at about $400 million a year, Musk threatened to cut off access.
A Pentagon spokesman recalled: "We started to panic a little bit. Musk could have shut down Starlink at any time. It would have had a real operational impact on Ukrainians."
Earlier, Elon Musk handed over control of a part of the Starlink satellite communications network from his SpaceX company to the Pentagon for use in Ukraine's war against Russia. This decision was made to avoid further responsibility for the network's operation and rules of use.