SpaceX successfully launches another sixty Starlink satellites
SpaceX this morning successfully launched another 60 Starlink satellites, bringing the total number in orbit to more than 1,500.
The first stage, on its seventh flight, successfully landed on the drone ship. During SpaceX’s live stream they noted that every launch by the company this year has used a previously flown first stage. Both fairings on this flight were also reused.
The leaders in the 2021 launch race:
10 SpaceX
7 China
5 Russia
2 Rocket Lab
The U.S. now leads China 14 to 7 in the national rankings.
I have embedded SpaceX’s live stream below the fold. Because of the clear weather this was a particularly beautiful launch. The video during the landing of the first stage was especially spectacular, with the camera on the booster showing the entire landing.
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SpaceX this morning successfully launched another 60 Starlink satellites, bringing the total number in orbit to more than 1,500.
The first stage, on its seventh flight, successfully landed on the drone ship. During SpaceX’s live stream they noted that every launch by the company this year has used a previously flown first stage. Both fairings on this flight were also reused.
The leaders in the 2021 launch race:
10 SpaceX
7 China
5 Russia
2 Rocket Lab
The U.S. now leads China 14 to 7 in the national rankings.
I have embedded SpaceX’s live stream below the fold. Because of the clear weather this was a particularly beautiful launch. The video during the landing of the first stage was especially spectacular, with the camera on the booster showing the entire landing.
Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined in the tip jar below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
Watching these launches hasn’t gotten old for me, though I suppose it might be considered a good thing if it did. I’m really looking forward to the day when Starship / Super Heavy launches become as routine as airline flights. Go Elon!
A little premature. While it will probably be successful, the mission is not over yet. The satellites haven’t even deployed.
OK. *Now* it’s a successful mission. Congratulations to SpaceX.
Ten launches in 3 months! All with reused first stages.
And I think Elon has launched more satellites than any single country, ever.
Starlink working great.
I just hope he is not planning to broadcast the Sacred Cows song to mind control all of us/sarc
I think I shall never get tired of watching the Falcon 9 first stage landings on the barge or on a pad. Today’s landing was particularly fun to see the barge below the incoming first stage. They truly revolutionized the satellite / spacecraft launch business in a very short time on the aerospace scale.
Rooting for Starship and Super Heavy future flights
I wish Elon could go back in time a century with his tech. Imagine where we would be now!
A passing thought: to counter LockMart, he should build a mag-ramp as large as possible like those called for HTOHL systems. He’d never use it himself-so as to stay true to VTOVL-but he could charge rent and demand free rides.
mkent–
–once they crash the 2nd stage into nacy pelosi’s well stocked refrigerator , then the mission is officially over.