[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]SpaceX successfully vaulted 60 satellites Friday as part of its plan to beam broadband Internet around the world.
A Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:30 p.m. ET carrying the payload. An hour later the second stage of the rocket began to release the satellites.
Musk and SpaceX confirmed via Twitter that all 60 satellites are deployed and “online.”
All 60 Starlink satellites online, solar array deployment coming up soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2019
SpaceX designed Starlink to connect end users with low latency, high bandwidth broadband services by providing continual coverage around the world using a network of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.
With a flat-panel design featuring multiple high-throughput antennas and a single solar array, each Starlink satellite weighs approximately 227kg, enabling SpaceX to maximize mass production and take full advantage of Falcon 9’s launch capabilities.
Friday’s Starlink mission is the first deployment of production satellites in a plan to launch nearly 12,000. Designed and built upon the heritage of the company’s Dragon, each spacecraft is equipped with a Startracker navigation system that SpaceX said allows the company to point the satellites with precision.
It will take 12 launches before the company can provide coverage for a significant portion of the world’s population, according to Musk.
Watch the mission below.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riBaVeDTEWI” video_title=”1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]