SpaceX Shares Stunning Orbital Sunrise Video During Starlink Deployment
Updated: May 09 2024 15:59Elon Musk's SpaceX continues to captivate space enthusiasts with breathtaking images and groundbreaking advancements in space exploration. Recently, SpaceX shared inspiring images of an orbital sunrise captured during the deployment of another batch of Starlink satellites, their ambitious satellite internet system aimed at providing global coverage.
The Orbital Sunrise
The video showcases a mesmerizing orbital sunrise that occurs just as the SpaceX vehicle deploys the Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. An orbital sunrise is a phenomenon observed from space when the sun rises above the Earth's horizon. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) would witness 16 orbital sunrises in a 24-hour period due to the station's high orbital velocity around our planet.
SpaceX breaks Space Shuttle Pad Record
The latest Starlink mission took off from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday afternoon, SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets exceeded the total number of Space Shuttle missions from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The combination of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket launches passed the total number of shuttle flights seen at that pad. Here is the Falcon 9 liftoff video shared by SpaceX:
They reached the milestone with the Starlink 6-56 mission, which launched on a Falcon 9 rocket at 2:42 p.m. EDT (1842 UTC), marking 83 orbital launches from SpaceX’s KSC pad. That’s one more than the 82 shuttle launches that took place over the 30-year history of that program. Here is the successful Falcon 9 landing video shared by SpaceX:
The SpaceX flights are a combination of 74 Falcon 9 launches and nine Falcon Heavy launches.
Starlink's Progress and Goals
As of today, there are over 5,913 Starlink satellites in orbit, a significant increase from the initial deployment of 60 satellites in 2019. You can now add 23 with this launch. SpaceX has ambitious plans to have up to 42,000 Starlink satellites in orbit in the coming years. The primary goal of the Starlink service is to bring internet connectivity to remote and underserved areas of the world, although it also caters to customers in other locations. The service has already garnered around 2.7 million subscribers.
SpaceX Static Fires Ship 30
Today, SpaceX also performed static fire test with Ship 30 in preparation for the fifth Starship flight. Starship 30 conducted what appeared to be a successful 6 engine static fire test just before noon. Here are the Starship static fire photo & video shared by SpaceX:
Competition in Space-Based Internet
SpaceX is not alone in the race to provide internet services from space using small satellites. Companies like Amazon are also making strides with their own projects, such as
Project Kuiper, which aims to launch its first satellites later this year. It plan to increase global broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Its mission is to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. As more players enter the market, the competition to deliver reliable and accessible internet from space is expected to intensify.
The stunning images of the orbital sunrise captured during the recent Starlink satellite deployment serve as a reminder of the incredible feats being achieved in space exploration. As SpaceX continues to expand its Starlink constellation and other companies join the race to provide space-based internet, we can expect to see more breathtaking visuals and technological advancements in the near future. These developments not only captivate our imagination but also hold the potential to revolutionize global connectivity and bridge the digital divide.
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