SpaceX successfully launches 47 new satellites in sixth Starlink mission of 2022; WATCH

Adding to its already vast constellation of satellites, SpaceX launched a new fleet of its Starlink satellites on March 3. The company launched 47 satellites in its Falcon 9 rocket which lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:55 pm (IST). Nine minutes after the liftoff, the Falcon 9 booster landed on the Just Read The Instructions droneship which was placed in the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred kilometres from the launch pad. 

SpaceX completes sixth Starlink launch of 2022

The latest launch marked the sixth successful Starlink mission and eighth overall launch conducted by SpaceX in 2022. Earlier in January, the Elon Musk-owned firm had revealed that it is targeting a record number of 52 launches this year with an average of one launch every week to meet the target. Sticking to their plan, SpaceX had attempted four launches in the month of January, however, it was able to execute only three owing to multiple delays. 

Meanwhile, it was the 11th launch for the booster used for this mission. Citing SpaceX representatives, Space.com reported that the booster was previously used to launch seven Starlink fleets along with the GPS III SV03 mission in June 2020, Turksat 5A in January 2021 and the Transporter 2 in June 2021.

Satellites in the Starlink constellation cross 2,000 mark

SpaceX has now developed a Starlink constellation of over 2,000 satellites and with that, it has intensified the concerns about the rising traffic in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Earlier in February, NASA had highlighted the threats such a vast Starlink constellation poses to existing satellites and future NASA missions. The issue will certainly get serious in the future as SpaceX has the permission to launch 12,000 more satellites and has plans to launch a total of 42,000 satellites for the Starlink constellation. Most recently, the company released a statement addressing these concerns and asserted that it is “deeply committed" to creating a safe and sustainable space environment.

Image: Twitter/@SpaceX