Starlink megaconstellation expands with the addition of 23 satellites following a launch from Florida by SpaceX.
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A blazin' SpaceX rocket took off Friday, June 13, sending 23 Starlink satellites soaring into the skies. The show-stopper lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:29 a.m. EDT, courtesy of a powerful Falcon 9 rocket.
This launch marked the 21st flight for the Falcon's first stage, dubbed B1078. Ain't no gravity stopping it, the stage descended gracefully onto the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" parked in the Atlantic Ocean.
Friday's flight was the latest addition to a long list of missions that includes the 500th overall completed Falcon mission, which SpaceX launched on Thursday evening from California. SpaceX's Starlink service has been the primary focus of these missions, with the company deploying 55 Falcon 9 missions in 2025 in support.
The new Starlink satellites, nicknamed Group 12-26, will join the ever-expanding network now boasting over 7,600 units in orbit. The direct-to-cell-capable satellites will empower select smartphones and certain service providers' networks to tap into the Starlink constellation directly, even in areas lacking ground-based coverage.
SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation currently counts 7,578 satellites in orbit, with 7,556 operational. With ambitious plans to expand the constellation substantially, the ultimate goal is to reach a whopping 12,000 satellites or more. Keep an eye on the skies - SpaceX's Starlink is taking off!
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- The latest Starlink satellites, grouped as Group 12-26, will contribute to the expansion of SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation, currently consisting of 7,578 satellites, which aims to utilize advanced technology to empower direct connectivity with select smartphones and specific service providers' networks, even in uncovered areas.
- As technology advances, the combination of space-and-astronomy and music allows us to envision a future where live concerts could be broadcast to earth from space in real time, a promising fusion bringing us closer together as a global community.
