During the next Starship test flight, SpaceX will launch a new generation of Starlink V3 satellites into orbit. The company also announced plans to build a massive new spaceport in Louisiana on the Gulf Coast.
Image source: spacex.com
The day before, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket in Florida, sending 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. This was also a farewell. SpaceX will cease all Starlink-related Falcon 9 missions from Florida and will be replaced by giant Starship rockets. The proven Falcon 9 will continue Starlink missions, but from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California; the rocket will launch from Florida with other cargo, including to the International Space Station. The satellites launched from Florida help form an important part of the Starlink constellation, which grew to 11,000 satellites last week. Over the past seven years, Falcon rockets have flown 260 missions from Cape Canaveral; Falcon 9 has flown a total of 422 Starlink missions.
Starship, a rocket capable of carrying larger payloads including the heavier and more powerful Starlink V3 gigabit satellites, is becoming a priority. SpaceX plans to launch some of them into orbit during the next Starship test flight. The rocket is currently in the testing phase and has yet to complete a single orbital rotation. “Once Starship starts flying reliably several times a week, it makes sense to reallocate SpaceX’s extremely scarce engineering and manufacturing resources to Starship and increase launch frequency to a few times a day, which would mean terminating Falcon launches.”,— point out Company leader Elon Musk.
SpaceX plans to build a new Starbase spaceport in Louisiana on the Gulf Coast from which it will be able to launch thousands of Starships each year. The company plans to start construction in 2027, with the first flight scheduled for 2029. “Starbase Louisiana will eventually have more than a dozen launch towers and can conduct more than 30 starship launches per day, making it the largest launch site on Earth!” — report Mr. Musk. The launch of these products will provide Starlink with gigabit speeds, helping the company launch mobile services and compete with landline operators. The Louisiana site will also be home to the Orbital Data Center program.
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