SpaceX launches 51 Starlink internet satellites into orbit
It was the first dedicated launch of Starlink satellites to polar orbit.
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It was the first dedicated launch of Starlink satellites to polar orbit.
Noor Al-Sulaiti has been in the telecoms industry for 17 years, and recently held the position of CEO of Starlink.
The mission, with 52 Starlink satellites and two rideshare payloads (Capella Whitney 4 and Tyvak-0130), launched on a Falcon 9.
The alliance aims to expand the reach of Google Cloud customers to their data, services and applications without the need for nearby cell towers.
This mission also marked the 100th successful flight of a Falcon rocket since Falcon 1 first flew to orbit in 2008.
Approximately eight minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 rockets first stage will return to Earth, which is scheduled to touch down on SpaceXs drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Speaking at the 2020 Satellite Conference in Washington DC, Musk said he thought there was zero chance that Starlink would have any impact on space science.
The mission will be SpaceX's fourth launch to grow its Starlink mega constellation of satellites, which are designed to provide high-speed broadband internet service from space.
SpaceX now has 180 spacecraft in orbit, bringing the company even closer to having the most satellites around Earth at once.
The satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, which makes it the fourth mission for this SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster.
The recent maneouvre by a European Earth-observation satellite to avoid colliding with one of SpaceX's internet craft raised concerns about the future with more satellite launches in the offing.
If the venture turns successful, it will make SpaceX the first operator of an internet satellite network and the sole competitor in this domain with its own rockets.
