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CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — One of the 28 Starlink satellites that were launched over the weekend has the distinction of being the 10,000th satellite sent up by SpaceX.
While Starlink, owned by SpaceX, has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit, it does not mean they are all operational.
What You Need To Know
- SpaceX owns the Starlink company
- Just because more than 10,000 have gone up, it does not mean they are all in working order
During the Sunday afternoon launch of Starlink 10-17 mission, SpaceX’s famed Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
It sent up 28 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.
Currently, 10,044 Starlink satellites have been launched by SpaceX, according to Dr. Jonathan McDowell, of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who has been documenting these communication satellites.
They are used for communications and internet services and even during space missions, like the civilian Polaris Dawn mission last year.
In its first official launch in 2019, 60 Starlink satellites were launched by SpaceX. (File photo)
However, just because more than 10,000 have gone up, it does not mean they are all operational.
Some are no longer in working order because of age, technical mishaps, or being directed to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
At the moment, McDowell has documented 8,676 satellites in orbit, but only 7,448 are in operational orbit, meaning they are in the right orbit they should be in.
The first Starlink mission was a test launch of two satellites called Tintin A and Tintin B in 2018.
The first official Starlink launch was in May 2019, which saw 60 Starlink satellites being sent to orbit.
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Anthony Leone
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