SpaceX has successfully launched another 60 satellites from the Internet Starlink today to 1,145 in total, approaching its initial target of 1,440. However, in a rare error, the Falcon 9 first stage booster failed to land on the drone ship “Of course I still love you”, presumably falling into the ocean. “It is a pity that we have not recovered this booster, but our second stage is still on a nominal trajectory,” said SpaceX engineer Jessica Anderson.
SpaceX has not yet said what happened to the booster (B1059, RIP), but it appeared to encounter a problem near the end of its landing burn. He had already flown two ISS refueling missions, launched a US spy satellite and an Earth observation satellite from Argentina, and propelled another Starlink mission. While the B1059 failed to return home for its sixth mission, SpaceX has always said that the main launch mission is the key and landings are more or less a bonus.
Despite the flaw, SpaceX may launch another 60 Starlink satellites as early as Wednesday. Elon Musk said that about 500-800 satellites would need to be in orbit before his Internet service could be launched. While the initial target was about 1,440 satellites, SpaceX plans to launch 12,000 in total.
Public beta testing for the Starlink Internet began in late 2020 for people in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with more than 10,000 customers already using the service within three months, according to a SpaceX FCC document. SpaceX started taking deposits of $ 99 for the service and recently told the Australian government that it would be able to cover the mainland in early 2021 and outside territories by 2022.