SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from both US coasts
File photo of a previous launch with Starlink satellites by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX flew two missions with Starlink satellites this week — one on each coast of the United States — increasing the size of the company’s internet constellation.
The latest launch of 46 Starlink internet satellites took place atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 5:40 p.m. EDT Aug. 12, 2022, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This was following a launch of 52 satellites atop a Falcon 9 at 10:14 p.m. Aug. 9, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Aug. 12 mission, launching satellites for Starlink Group 3-3 into a polar orbit, utilized Falcon 9 first stage core B1061, which was flying on its 10th mission. It successfully landed on SpaceX’s drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” located downrange in the Pacific Ocean.
The Aug. 9, 2022 Starlink satellite launch in Florida, as seen from north Orlando. Credit: Theresa Cross / Spaceflight Insider
Starlink Group 4-26 as seen before liftoff. The tower building assembled to the right of the rocket is planned to be used for SpaceX’s future Starship launch system. Credit: Theresa Cross / Spaceflight Insider
On Aug. 9, the Starlink Group 4-26 mission utilized Falcon 9 first stage core B1073, which made its third flight after a 41-day turnaround.
B1073 successfully landed on drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” staged some 650 kilometers downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
These missions marked the 35th and 36th launches by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in 2022. These were also the 53rd and 54th launches in support of building the company’s space-based internet constellation with nearly 2,800 working in orbit following these launches.
Video courtesy of SpaceX
Theresa Cross
Theresa Cross grew up on the Space Coast. It’s only natural that she would develop a passion for anything “Space” and its exploration. During these formative years, she also discovered that she possessed a talent and love for defining the unique quirks and intricacies that exist in mankind, nature, and machines. Hailing from a family of photographers—including her father and her son, Theresa herself started documenting her world through pictures at a very early age. As an adult, she now exhibits an innate photographic ability to combine what appeals to her heart and her love of technology to deliver a diversified approach to her work and artistic presentations. Theresa has a background in water chemistry, fluid dynamics, and industrial utility.
