SpaceX readies 46 Starlinks; stock split
February 21, 2022
By Chris Forrester
Elon Musk will be hoping for more luck with a launch of 46 of his Starlink broadband satellites today (February 21st) at 9.44am EST time. The last batch of Starlinks launched on February 3rd saw 40 totally destroyed by a geomagnetic storm.
This latest launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Station. It will be the 38th launch for the Starlink mega-constellation.
The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Crew Demo-2, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3, and five Starlink missions. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This is the fourth flight for both fairing halves supporting this mission.
Meanwhile, CNBC is reporting that Musk is about to split its common stock on a 10-for-1 ratio. It will mean that SpaceX’s (privately-held) stock currently priced at about $560 per share will then be worth about $56 a share. CNBC is quoting an email sent to SpaceX staff.
“The split has no impact on the overall valuation of the company or on the overall value of your SpaceX holdings,” the email said.
While not directly affecting the rocket company’s valuation (already worth more than $100 million) it might make an IPO – long expected – more palatable for private investors.