SpaceX Launch marks the First attempt in 2022 to deliver Starlink Satellites into Orbit

Listen to this article

The first launch of the SpaceX rocket in 2022 is scheduled to happen on Jan. 6 as the company is looking to deliver its more Starlink satellites into Earth orbit. The rocket is a partially reusable Falcon 9 model and will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 6 at 4:49 p.m. EST. There is also a backup launch window on January 7 at 4:28 p.m. if Thursday’s launch cannot go ahead. SpaceX is due to host a live webcast of the launch on its YouTube channel starting about 15 minutes prior to liftoff. People can also catch the launch in person from the viewing area of the Kennedy Space Center if they purchase daily admission. Point to be noted that Starlink is a SpaceX venture designed to provide satellite internet to customers around the world.

Moreover, Starlink involves a constellation of thousands of small satellites in orbit around the Earth that communicate with small satellite dishes that customers buy from SpaceX and place outside of their homes. Thursday’s mission will deliver an additional 49 internet-beaming Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. It will mark the 33rd launch supporting the Starlink mission and if it is successful, it will mean that the total number of Starlink satellites launched will be just below 2,000. SpaceX says the first-stage rocket booster propelling the satellites into space has been used three times before on other missions, including Inspiration4 (the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit), which launched in September 2021. The satellites are due to be deployed by the Falcon 9 rocket around 15 minutes after launch.

It is noteworthy that the Starlink project and other plans for large satellite constellations have given rise to concerns that the large number of satellites involved could eventually disrupt the clear night sky and pose an issue for astronomers. SpaceX said Starlink is leading the industry in innovations and making its satellites less bright to reduce such disruption and the impact on astronomy, such as by applying a dark coating to the satellites. The Starlink launch on Thursday will mark the first orbital launch attempt of 2022 and will kick off an exciting year for space exploration. SpaceX is due to continue working on its Mars-bound Starship rocket that is expected to have its debut launch early this year. NASA is also hoping to carry out the debut launch of its moon-bound SLS rocket in the spring.