Starlink V2: today the first test launch of the new gen

SpaceX plans to launch tonight, in about an hour to be exact, the first of a new generation of Internet satellites Starlink V2and by the way you can watch the event live online, for free. Twenty-one of SpaceX’s new Starlink V2 mini satellites are scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket at 11:13 pm GMT (6:13 pm EST) today, Feb. 27, about five hours later than expected, according to an update from SpaceX.

The launch was originally one of two scheduled within two hours today (a second Falcon 9 was scheduled to launch an earlier version of Starlink from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., this afternoon), but that flight was delayed due to bad weather. .

To be able to watch the big event live, courtesy of SpaceX, simply go directly to the company’s YouTube page that you will find hereand follow it in peace, wherever you are.

As usual, the Falcon 9 first stages will return to Earth to make landing attempts approximately 8.5 minutes after each launch. According to Everyday Astronaut, this will be the third and twelfth launch respectively for the boosters flying today and finally for the launch of the Vandenberg Falcon 9.

The evolution of SpaceX satellites with Starlink V2

SpaceX has already launched nearly 4,000 Starlink satellites for worldwide Internet service, and more satellites are on the way, the company indeed has regulatory clearance for send an additional 12,000 Starlink aircraftand requested approval to deploy nearly 30,000 satellites on top of that.

In December 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States approved SpaceX to deploy 7,500 Starlink V2 satellites in low Earth orbit, far fewer than the 29,988 Starlink V2s required by SpaceX in 2020.

The FCC has granted limited approval”to address concerns about orbital debris and space safety“, agency officials said at the time.

“Our action will allow SpaceX to begin the deployment of Gen2 Starlink, which will bring next-generation satellite broadband to Americans nationwide, including those who live and work in areas traditionally unserved or underserved by ground-based systems.
Our action will also enable satellite broadband service worldwide, helping to bridge the digital divide on a global scale.”

FCC officials wrote in the December decision order, which you can find here.

The 21 Starlink V2 mini satellites scheduled for launch this evening, they are a test set for SpaceX’s Falcon 9; the full-size version 2.0 spacecraft is optimized for SpaceX’s massive Starship Mars rocket, which isn’t operational yet.

The full-scale Starlink 2.0 satellites are bigger and can do more than previous generations of Starlinks, according to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk. Each 2.0 spacecraft weighs 1,130 kilograms (1.25 tons) and can send service directly to cellphones; SpaceX has already announced plans to do so in 2023 through a partnership with T-Mobile.

The two Starlink launches originally scheduled for Monday were supposed to be part of a triple header, along with the Crew-6 astronaut mission for NASA, which was scheduled to lift off early Monday morning, however the Crew-6 planned liftoff was canceled due to of a ground system problem at the end of the countdown.

The next possible Crew-6 launch opportunity is Thursday (March 2) at 05:34 GMT (00:34 EST).

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