SpaceX adds 22 extra Starlinks
July 24, 2023
By Chris Forrester
SpaceX lofted 22 second-generation ‘V2-Mini’ Starlink broadband satellites into orbit in the evening of July 23rd (at 23.09pm UTC).
After lift-off from Space Launch Complex 40, the Falcon 9 headed south-east, targeting an orbit inclined at 43 degrees to the equator. The cargo element separated from the second stage about two and a half minutes into flight, with the Falcon 9’s booster arcing downrange for a landing on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions, which will be stationed in the Atlantic east of the Bahamas.
It was the sixth flight for this particular booster stage.
SpaceX has now launched 4,837 Starlink satellites, and the number of Starlink satellites currently in orbit is 4,497.
Starlink’s broadband service is now available in more than 56 countries and in May 2023, it claimed more than 1.5 million subscribers.