SpaceX delays the launch of the first Starlink satellite after bad weather causes a delay
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is not having the most desirable start to the New Year after the first Starlink satellite launch of 2021 was delayed as a result of bad weather. Consequently, the launch was postponed to Tuesday, 19th of January 2021.
The Falcon 9 rocket was initially scheduled to launch on Monday 18th January at 8:23 a.m EST from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, the mission to launch the rocket, which is reported to be holding 60 Starlink satellites and aimed at beaming internet down to planet Earth, was suspended due to “unfavorable weather conditions in the recovery area.” Another attempted launch is scheduled for Tuesday morning. According to a tweet from SpaceX, the rocket will launch at 8:23 a.m. EST.
The proposed launch will be the 17th time that the company has sent Starlink satellites into space. The move is in line with SpaceX’s goal of providing global broadband coverage from as many as 42,000 satellites.
The aerospace company presently has more than 1,000 internet satellites in orbit, as reported by Space.com. The company is reported to have started testing its space-based internet service through its “Better Than Nothing Beta.” Consumers in different parts of the United States, southern Canada, and some parts of Europe have started to enjoy the service, with some of them reporting significantly high internet speeds of over 200 megabits per second.
Starlink is also looking to expand its services to the United Kingdom after getting the green light from regulators. Reports have it that some users have started to receive their beta kits.
Once the rocket leaves the atmosphere of the Earth, its first stage will peel off and subsequently land on the “Just Read the Instructions” recovery droneship, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Falcon 9 rockets have become popular for their reusability, as this will be the eighth time this particular Falcon 9 rocket booster is making a flight. Its most recent launch was on December 13, 2020, when it took SiriusXM’s new radio satellite into orbit. The six other missions are the RADARSAT Constellation Mission in June 2019, the Crew Dragon’s first mission in March 2019, and four different Starlink missions.
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