SpaceX ties rocket reuse record and launches mini Starlinks
On Thursday, February 22 at 8:11 p.m. PT, a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 22 V2 Mini Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
This was the 19th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar FM15, ISI EROS C-3, Korea 425, and now nine Starlink missions. The first stage booster’s, tail number 1061, tied the record of 19 successful recoveries. The previous record set by booster 1058 successfully landed on December 26, 2023 and then ironically was lost during recovery operations. SpaceX says it has more than two million subscribers to its Starlink internet service in more than 60 countries. Since 2019 it has launched 5,872 Starlinks according to statistics compiled after this launch by Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who maintains a space flight database. Of those satellites 5,480 remain in orbit and 5,442 appear to be operational.
Anuvu announces NuView-Alpha + NuView-Bravo satellites for launch
On Thursday, February 22 at 8:11 p.m. PT, a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 22 V2 Mini Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. — This was the 19th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar FM15, ISI EROS C-3, Korea 425, and now nine Starlink missions.
The first stage booster’s, tail number 1061, tied the record of 19 successful recoveries. The previous record set by booster 1058 successfully landed on December 26, 2023 and then ironically was lost during recovery operations. SpaceX says it has more than two million subscribers to its Starlink internet service in more than 60 countries. Since 2019 it has launched 5,872 Starlinks according to statistics compiled after this launch by Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who maintains a space flight database. Of those satellites 5,480 remain in orbit and 5,442 appear to be operational.
Gilmour Space raises million$$ for their Australian launch efforts in Australia
Australia’s space race is gathering pace with Queensland-based Gilmour Space Technologies raising a $55 million ($36 million) Series D round ahead of the firm’s first orbital test flight this year.
Led by Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), alongside other leading Australian venture capital and superannuation funds – including Blackbird, Main Sequence, HostPlus and HESTA – the capital will fund the manufacture, test and launch of Australian rockets and satellites from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland.
The Eris Orbital Launch Vehicle is a three-stage rocket capable of launching smallsat into LEO. Eris TestFlight 1 is anticipated to launch in the coming months, pending launch approvals from the Australian Space Agency.
A second TestFlight is planned for the latter half of 2024, with commercial launches starting in 2025 from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
