A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 7.
After just over an hour in orbit, SpaceX verified that all 23 of the Starlink V2 small satellites had been successfully deployed.
How many more launches can we expect from SpaceX and what are the missions? Here's everything we know.
How many SpaceX launches will there be in 2024?
SpaceX will be launching three Starlinks (satellite internet constellation) in January 2024 using its Falcon 9 rockets.
The Starlink 7-10 voyage is the next SpaceX mission, scheduled to launch on Tuesday, January 9, from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Santa Barbara, California.
The amount of Starlink satellites on that trip, as well as whether or not there will be more of the recently developed Starlinks with direct-to-cell capabilities, have not been disclosed by SpaceX.
On January 13, there will be another Starlink delivery mission departing from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
There is also expected to be one more launch this month, but no date or details have been announced.
What are the missions?
These launches are part of the Starlink mission.
With a low Earth orbit, Starlink is the first and biggest constellation of satellites in the world that provides broadband internet suitable for online gaming, streaming, video calls, and other activities.
With the help of cutting-edge satellites, user gear, and an extensive knowledge of spacecraft and on-orbit operations, Starlink provides users worldwide with high-speed, low-latency internet.
One geostationary satellite, orbiting the earth at a distance of 35,786 km, provides the majority of satellite internet services. Consequently, streaming, online gaming, video conversations, and other high-data-rate activities are almost impossible to provide due to the significant round trip data time, or latency, between the user and satellite.
Starlink is a network of thousands of satellites that circle the planet at a distance of roughly 550 km, covering the whole world. The low orbit of Starlink satellites results in much reduced latency – roughly 25 milliseconds as opposed to more than 600 Ms.
