SpaceX launches Starlink V2 Mini satellites into orbit for the first time

SpaceX failed to launch the Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon due to unsuitable weather conditions. However, the mission to launch the first Starlink V2 Mini satellites went according to schedule.

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SpaceX is facing a drop in the speed of satellite Internet Starlink because of the large number of active users. The problem will be solved with the help of Starlink Gen 2 satellites, but for their launch will need permission to launch Starship with a Super Heavy rocket. In the meantime, the company is looking for temporary solutions. One of them is the Starlink V2 Mini satellites.

On February 28 at 19:13 (EDT) or 16:13 (PDT), SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with 21 satellites before landing on the unmanned offshore platform A Shortfall of Gravitas. Each spacecraft has two 52.5-square-metre solar panels and four times the throughput capacity of previous generations of satellites.

Starlinks V2 Mini are being launched into low-Earth orbit under a US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license. The regulator has approved the deployment of 30,000 satellites, but SpaceX must first launch 7,500 devices safely into orbit.

Source: SpaceX