0
This Tuesday (31), the day before , SpaceX intends to carry out the last space launch of 2024. A Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 21 internet network satellites, is scheduled to take off at 2:34 am (Brasília time), from the Complex Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The last space launch of the year will be carried out by SpaceX, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink satellites into Earth orbit on December 31st. Credit: SpaceX
With (formerly Twitter) from SpaceX, the mission will feature 13 satellites capable of providing direct connectivity to cell phones, expanding the coverage of the high-speed broadband network.
According to one from the company, this launch will be the 134th flight of Falcon 9 rockets in 2024, surpassing the previous year’s record, which had 96 missions. Of these 134, 89 were allocated to the expansion of the Starlink satellite constellation, including Tuesday’s.
If everything goes according to plan, the rocket’s first stage should return to Earth eight minutes after liftoff and land on the ferry.”Just Read the Instructions“, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the upper stage will continue its journey to place the satellites into a low Earth orbit, where they will be deployed.
This will be the 16th flight of the first stage that will be used in this mission, after being part of the Crew-6, BlueBird-1 missions and other flights dedicated to the Starlink program. This type of reuse is a hallmark of SpaceX, aiming to contribute to reducing costs and increasing the frequency of launches.
Starlink has been strongly involved in expanding internet connectivity around the world, especially in remote areas, currently counting on. In addition to expanding Starlink, SpaceX is working on other ambitious missions, the most audacious of which is the possible sending of humans to Mars.
Although the development of the Starlink megaconstellation helps expand internet access around the globe, the growing presence of satellites in the planet’s orbit also generates discussions about and in the Earth’s environment, such as the increase in light pollution.
This means that continued launches can meet the demand for internet services in isolated regions, but it also raises questions about the sustainability of this model in the long term.
