SpaceX launching 60 Starlink satellites on June 3
June 2, 2020
By Chris Forrester
Following on from last weekend’s success with its two human passengers aboard the Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station, SpaceX will launch 60 of its Starlink satellites on June 3rd.
Currently, and weather permitting, the launch is planned for around 9.25pm Florida-time. However, SpaceX has a 60-minute launch window which opens at 8.55pm and thus the launch could happen anytime during the launch window.
The launch will take the total Starlink craft in orbit to 480, and this will be the eighth launch of the Starlink fleet.
Meanwhile, there is something of a shuttle going on with SpaceX’s small navy of maritime barges. The ‘Of Course I Still Love You’, which was used to provide a floating landing pad for the Crew Dragon’s Falcon Heavy, is still on its way back to its Port Canaveral home. Its sister barge, ‘Just Read The Instructions’ is now on its way to its designated landing point in the Atlantic and ready to collect the returning Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage.
This particular rocket has already flown 4 times and clearly demonstrating Elon Musk’s theory of a high rate of usability for his fleet.