While it awaits regulatory approval for orbital test flights of its massive Starship rocket, SpaceX is busy setting new records with its Falcon 9 rocket lineup. Yesterday, the rocket launched the latest batch of 22 upgraded "Starlink" satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida, becoming the second rocket in the world to fly and land 17 times.
Now, SpaceX is broadcasting its launch event live on the SpaceX's Falcon 9 remains the world's only rapidly reusable rocket.
The latest launch comes hours after SpaceX shared more details about its Starlink satellite internet service. In just a few years after it became available to the public, Starlink has become one of the largest and fastest Internet services of its kind. It relies on Low Earth Orbit (LEO)'s proximity to the Earth's surface to shorten the time it takes for internet signals to travel from user antennas to satellites, greatly improving performance compared to other satellite networks that rely on higher geostationary orbits or other satellites.
At the same time, SpaceX's Falcon 9 also gives it the ability to quickly launch satellites and build constellations because the company does not have to wait to schedule launches based on launch vehicle availability. The Falcon 9 rocket has proven to be the backbone of SpaceX's revenue statement and Starlink program, continuing to provide the company with important cash flow to fund operations while the company waits for Starship to become operational.
The booster responsible for the latest launch successfully completed 17 missions after landing on a SpaceX unmanned spacecraft, becoming the second rocket of its kind in the world. SpaceX earlier broke its own record for the most rocket booster launches. After the latest launch, the company's two rocket boosters have flown and landed 17 times respectively. The latest Falcon 9 rocket to achieve this milestone has performed most of the Starlink missions. Its non-Starlink missions include two satellite-sharing missions, a Global Positioning System satellite launch and two missions for private satellite companies.
According to the latest details, SpaceX's Starlink currently serves more than 2 million users in more than 60 countries. The substantial growth in the number of users has also restricted the development of the network. As existing satellites are used to provide services to more users, many users have reported a decrease in download speeds. SpaceX plans to launch thousands more satellites under its second-generation Starlink license while rolling out updated antennas to users.
However, the company's ability to launch second-generation spacecraft is limited by the backbone of the Starlink program, the Falcon 9 rocket. Because newer satellites are larger, Falcon 9 can only launch so many. To make up for this shortcoming, SpaceX plans to use "Starship" to launch spacecraft.
This puts another burden on the Starship program, which is also critical for NASA to complete the Artemis program on schedule. While SpaceX has conducted multiple ground tests of its latest Starship test vehicle, the company is still awaiting regulatory approval to launch and test the rocket again following a partially successful test in April.