SpaceX aces 27th Falcon 9 rocket flight of the year, a new record – Spaceflight Now - Spaceflight Now

SpaceX set a new record Thursday for the most missions by the company’s Falcon rocket family in a year, successfully sending a cargo of 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky optical Earth-imaging spacecraft into orbit from Cape Canaveral.

Here’s a replay of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket departing Cape Canaveral at 6:12pm EST (2312 GMT) with 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky remote sensing microsats.

First, the rocket cast off the two 121-pound (55-kilogram) BlackSky satellites fastened to the top of the stack of Starlink satellites.

SpaceX could launch one more Falcon 9 rocket mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California later this month.

But there’s no firm launch date for that mission, which will carry another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit.

With the launch of 48 more Starlink satellites Thursday night, SpaceX has delivered 1,892 spacecraft to orbit for its privately-funded global broadband network.

Thursday night’s mission, named Starlink Group 4-3, was SpaceX’s 32nd Falcon 9 launch since May 2019 primarily dedicated to hauling Starlink satellites to orbit.

Most of the Starlink satellites launched so far have deployed into a 341-mile-high (550-kilometer), 53-degree inclination orbit, the first of five orbital shells SpaceX plans to complete full deployment of the Starlink network.

The laser crosslinks, which have been tested on a handful of Starlink satellites on prior launches, will reduce the reliance of SpaceX’s internet network on ground stations.

In September, SpaceX launched the first batch of 51 Starlink satellites into a 70-degree inclination orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Video downlinked from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket over South Texas showed 48 Starlink internet satellites flying free of the upper stage, completing tonight’s successful launch.

The mission Thursday night was the second Starlink flight to target the 53.2-degree inclination orbit, slightly offset from the 53-degree inclination planes populated during the first phase of the Starlink network deployment.

SpaceX’s next-generation launcher, a giant rocket called the Starship that has not yet reached orbit, may eventually be tasked with launching hundreds of next-generation Starlink satellites on a single mission.

17 on a Rocket Lab mission from New Zealand, and Rocket Lab plans another launch next week carrying two more BlackSky payloads.

The surge of launches with BlackSky satellites will double the size of the company’s fleet from six to 12 spacecraft over a period of less than three weeks.

Another two BlackSky satellites are booked for launch on a Rocket Lab mission in early 2022.

The launch company also launches dedicated rideshare flights, called Transporter missions, with dozens of small satellites from a range of U.S

Three BlackSky satellites launched on previous Falcon 9 missions, including two on a Starlink launch in August 2020

But Rocket Lab and other smallsat launch companies can satellites into orbit on dedicated rides, giving operators more flexibility to choose their altitude and inclination

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Starlink and BlackSky satellites