SpaceX’s first launch of 2022 will deploy more Starlink internet satellitesJanuary 2, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]
File photo of a stack of Starlink satellites before a previous mission.. Credit: SpaceXSpaceX plans to kick off its 2022 launch schedule with a Falcon 9 rocket flight Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with the company’s next group of Starlink internet satellites.
In a change from previous Starlink missions, the Falcon 9 rocket will fly southeast from the coast of Florida on a course just north of the Bahamas to place the new batch of internet satellites into low Earth orbit a few hundred miles above Earth.
The mission, designated Starlink 4-5, is expected to target an orbital plane with a tilt of 53.2 degrees to the equator, one of five orbital “shells” at different inclination angles that SpaceX plans to fill with around 4,400 satellites to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity around the world.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/01/02/spacexs-first-launch-of-2022-will-deploy-more-starlink-internet-satellites/Op-ed | Is there enough room in space for tens of billions of satellites, as Elon Musk suggests? We don’t think so.by Miles Lifson and Richard Linares — January 4, 2022 [SN]
Currently, there are more than 4,500 active satellites in orbit. While it took more than five decades to reach a thousand simultaneous active satellites, the growth in the active orbital population has exploded over the last decade, driven largely by companies like SpaceX designing satellite constellations to provide internet access. Credit: Mirexon via Canva.comAs researchers interested in orbital capacity, it’s surreal to wake up and find Elon Musk commenting on the question that has been central to your work: how many satellites can we fit in low Earth orbit (LEO)? According to a recent interview with the Financial Times, Mr. Musk’s stance is that tens of billions of satellites can coexist in LEO. While we agree this is an important question to ask, especially for someone planning on launching thousands of his own satellites in the near future, his estimation is overly optimistic. In the immortal words of Douglas Adams (and Mr. Musk himself), space is big. But LEO is not big enough to safely accommodate this kind of orbital demand.
https://spacenews.com/op-ed-is-there-enough-room-in-space-for-tens-of-billions-of-satellites-as-elon-musk-suggests-we-dont-think-so/Starlink’s head of India resigns as SpaceX refunds preordersby Jason Rainbow — January 4, 2022 [SN]
India’s government has ordered SpaceX to refund all preorders for Starlink broadband services in the country. Credit: SpaceXTAMPA, Fla. — Starlink’s lead executive in India said he resigned Friday for personal reasons, a month after the country’s government ordered SpaceX to stop preselling the satellite broadband service until it gives regulatory approval.
“I have stepped down as Country Director and Chairman of the Board of Starlink India for personal reasons,” Sanjay Bhargava said in a Jan. 4 LinkedIn post.
“My last working day was December 31, 2021. I will have no comments for individuals and media so please respect my privacy.”
https://spacenews.com/starlinks-head-of-india-resigns-as-spacex-refunds-preorders/SpaceX kicks off 2022 with Starlink launchby Jeff Foust — January 6, 2022 [SN]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off Jan. 6 carrying 49 Starlink satellites. Credit: SpaceX webcastWASHINGTON — After setting a record for launch activity in 2021, SpaceX started 2022 with the Falcon 9 launch of a set of Starlink satellites Jan. 6.
Source:
https://spacenews.com/spacex-kicks-off-2022-with-starlink-launch/