SpaceX Launches 60 More Starlink Satellites

SpaceX launched 60 starlink satellites on June 3. Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX launched an additional 60 Starlink satellites late Wednesday, marking more than 480 satellites launched for the company’s Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation.

A Falcon 9 booster launched the satellites at 9:25 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The 60 satellites deployed about 15 minutes after liftoff. This was the eighth batch of Starlink satellites launched, and the sixth this year. SpaceX said this launch included the first Starlink satellite with a deployable visor to block sunlight from hitting the brightest spots of the spacecraft, part of its goal to reduce satellite brightness and minimize the impact on astronomers. 

Last week, SpaceX submitted an application to the FCC for its second generation system of 30,000 Non-Geostationary (NGSO) satellites. According to the application, 85% of the system would operate at very low altitudes below 400 km, using eight total orbital altitudes ranging from 328 km to 614 km. This application is in line with SpaceX’s previous filing to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2019. 

The Starlink launch came just days after making history as the first privately owned company ever to launch human beings into space on May 30. SpaceX sent NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Crew Dragon capsule that was mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket.