SpaceX Launches Another 60 Starlink Satellites

Jan 29, 2021 | Daily Space, Rockets, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Starlink

CREDIT: SpaceX

On January 20 at 13:02 UTC, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with another batch of Starlink internet satellites from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This was a dedicated mission, so another sixty satellites were added to the mega-constellation, bringing the total number of version 1.0 satellites launched to 953 of a planned 1,440 in the first generation constellation. The launch was originally scheduled for Saturday, January 18, but was delayed several days to January 20 due to the “need for more pre-launch inspections” and poor weather at the booster recovery zone. 

The launch featured the unprecedented eighth flight of booster 1051, and eight minutes after launch, it successfully landed on the drone ship Just Read The Instructions. This was also the quickest turnaround between flights of the same booster, with only 37 days, 19 hours, and 32 minutes elapsing between the seventh and eighth flights of B1051.

Both fairings had previously flown on Starlink launches and were not recovered.

More Information

SpaceX press release

Launch video

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