50 more Starlink satellites launched for the global internet

Another 50 Starlink satellites for the global internet launched from SpaceX, while Elon Musk's company has started testing the network in several US states.

Meanwhile, engineers are continuing to investigate the engine problem of the Falcon 9 rocket that had delayed other missions, including the first operational flight of SpaceX's crewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which slipped in mid-November.

   The 60 Starlink satellites departed from the US Air Force base in Cape Canaveral with a Falcon 9 rocket, which, after completing its mission, landed on a floating platform in the Atlantic.

The landing took place moments before the rocket's upper stage brought the 60 Starlink satellites into a 'parking' orbit 275 kilometers from Earth, from where the satellites will reach their predicted one at 550 kilometers, where they will join at over 800 kilometers. other Starlink satellites.

   The system is being tested in several US states to provide Internet connectivity for students living in rural areas never served by the Internet.

On September 28, the Washington Military Department announced that it was using the Starlink Internet service while rescuing the fire-affected city of Malden.

   In addition, Washington government officials said in early October that the Hoh tribe was starting to use the Starlink service.

After the tests, SpaceX aims to offer the first services as soon as in orbit there will be at least 1,440 satellites.

But for global coverage, which includes the most remote areas not reached by cable broadband, Elon Musk's company plans to launch a constellation of 12,000 satellites.

   Almost 900 Starlink satellites have been launched so far.

However, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 53 of the Starlink satellites have been moved out of orbit because they were test models launched last year, about 20 are not working, and as a result the satellites around 820 are operational.