Success for Starlink Dec 2 launch
December 3, 2021
By Chris Forrester
SpaceX successfully placed 48 of its Starlink broadband satellites into orbit on the evening of December 2nd, plus two paying satellites for client BlackSky, who is using its satellites for Earth observation tasks.
A few minutes after launch the Falcon 9’s rocket booster was successfully recovered on its floating drone barge in the Atlantic. The booster has now flown – and landed – nine times.
The launch took place at 18.12pm EDT from the Cape Canaveral site in Florida.
Including this flight, SpaceX has launched almost 1,900 flat-panelled broadband satellites, with just under 900 launched in 2021 alone. The company has approval for 30,000 more satellites, with the option for as many as 42,000 over time.