Launch Report: SpaceX Adds Another 21 Satellites To Its Starlink Constellation

Charles Boyer

1 year ago

Starlink 12-18 launches from Cape Canaveral. Photo by Ed Cordero / Florida Media Now

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral today, and added another 21 satellites to their Starlink constellation. Liftoff was at 1:53 PM EST. Today’s mission was dubbed Starlink 12-18 publicly, and F9-436 internally at SpaceX.

It was the 18th successful mission for the Falcon 9 Booster B1077, which entered service in 2022 when it debuted carrying astronauts on the Crew-5 mission for NASA. Since then B2077 has lifted Crew-5, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, TD-7, Immarsat I6-F2, GPS III-6, NG-20, and now 11 Starlink missions.

Around eight minutes after liftoff, B1077 touched down offshore near The Bahamas aboard ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’. JRTI and B1077 will return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be offloaded and returned to SpaceX’s facilities at the Cape to be refurbished and prepared for its next flight. Today’s landing was the 413th Falcon family booster landing, and the 108th landing on JRTI.

Payload

Starlink satellites are part of SpaceX’s initiative to create a global broadband internet network. Some key facts:

Design: Starlink satellites are flat-panel devices equipped with multiple high-throughput antennas and solar panels. The design allows them to be launched in bulk.
Orbit: They operate in low Earth orbit (LEO) at altitudes ranging from approximately 340 km to 1,200 km. This lowers latency compared to traditional satellites in geostationary orbit.
Constellation: SpaceX has deployed thousands of satellite to date, creating a constellation that can provide extensive coverage and capacity across the globe.
Communication: They use advanced phased-array technology for beam forming, allowing for high-speed data transmission to ground stations and user terminals.
User Service: Customers use a Starlink dish (known as a user terminal) to connect to the network, which communicates with the satellites overhead.
Launch: Starlink missions typically involve launching groups of satellites aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets.

Overall, Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency internet access, especially in rural and underserved areas to nearly five million customers in over 200 countries.