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SpaceX launches first Starlink internet service satellites

SpaceX launches first Starlink internet service satellites

Mubasher: SpaceX just launched the first batch of 60 satellites for its Starlink broadband network.

A towering Falcon 9 rocket, a two-phase-to-orbit medium lift launch vehicle, blazed towards the sky from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Thursday at 10:30 pm EST (2:30 am GMT).

Around 11:30 pm EST, the second phase of the rocket with a payload of 60 satellites, and gradually started to deploy them into a low Earth orbit to ensure less signal lag.

The single Starlink satellite weighs around 227 kilograms, while the whole stack is set to deliver 1 terabit per second of usable capacity, and from 2.5 to 3 terabits per second of total capacity.

After dropping the satellites in orbit, tech mogul Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, confirmed via Twitter that all of the 60 went “online” and the devices would soon spread out their solar arrays to be powered while in orbit.

The mission came as the first step towards the deployment of a mega constellation that could beam low-cost broadband all over the Earth and could ultimately total 12,000 satellites.

The project is geared towards garnering more revenue to support SpaceX’s interplanetary ambitious plans.

The launch was initially slated for early May, but the mission was postponed owing to a knock-on delays from an earlier resupply mission to the International Space Station.

At least 12 more launches will be required to compete commercially with terrestrial broadband network.

If fully successful, the mission will trigger a wild race that could see competitors such as Amazon and SoftBank-backed OneWeb, both of which looks to build constellations of their own, jumping into the bandwagon.