SpaceX places another 22 satellites into orbit
August 14, 2023
By Chris Forrester
SpaceX carried out a flawless rocket launch and successful landing on its Falcon 9 booster and in the process placed 22 Starlink V-2 ‘mini’ broadband satellites into their transfer orbit on August 11th from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The launch meant that SpaceX had orbited a total of 51 satellites last week (and 80 the week prior). The launches take the total number of Starlinks launched to almost 5000 (4940) of which astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell says 4,566 are designated as “working”.
These Version-2 ‘mini’ satellites weigh about 800 kgs each at launch, about three-times the weight of the earlier Version 1 craft which weighed some 260 kgs. The V2 minis serve as a precursor version to the company’s full V2 design, whose larger design is intended to launch on SpaceX’s yet-operational Starship rocket. In the interim, the V2 minis stand in as a measurable upgrade from Starlink’s previous version.
Starlink V2 minis are described as more robust than the first generation, in both size and capability. According to SpaceX’s own social media posts, the upgrades include argon Hall thrusters for a 2.4x and 1.5x boost in thrust and impulse, respectively, refitted phased array antennas, and E-band backhaul use capabilities that nearly quadruple Starlink’s initial data capacity.