Space company SpaceX launched 60 satellites from Cape Canaveral for its Starlink broadband Internet network on Wednesday night, Florida Today reported.
The company launched two NASA astronauts into space for the first time last weekend. "For the first time in history, NASA astronauts have launched from American soil in a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station," NASA commented on that launch.
A new SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida on Wednesday night. About fifteen minutes later, the SpaceX capsule launched the sixty satellites into space.
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The company has already sent 480 satellites into space in eight launches since May 2019. SpaceX plans to launch a thousand more this year, and thousands more in the coming years.
Starlink, which is primarily intended for regions without fast Internet connections, could become operational in North America by the end of the year.
SpaceX set a new record by recovering the first stage of the launcher. This stage has already flown four times and landed on a new recovery barge, named 'Just Read The Instructions'.
Not everyone applauds space initiatives, whether it's Starlink or other competitive projects. Astronomers fear that they will be hindered in their observations.
In addition, as space debris accumulates in space, the risk of collisions between satellites at the end of their active life and those still operational increases.
The Brussels Times
