8/31/2023 0 Comments Falcon 9 second stageThe argon Hall thrusters were developed by SpaceX engineers, the company said, and are the first of their kind to operate in space. The new propulsion system has 2.4 times the thrust and 1.5 times the specific impulse, or fuel efficiency, of the krypton-fueled ion thrusters on the first generation of Starlink satellites. The Starlink V2 Mini satellites also carry an argon-fueled electrical propulsion system using Hall thrusters for on-orbit maneuvering. Unlike most of SpaceX’s Starlink missions, which place their satellites in lower-altitude transfer orbits, the Starlink 6-1 mission Monday injected the 21 V2 Mini satellites into an orbit closer to their final operating altitude, minimizing the time needed for the spacecraft to use their own propulsion to maneuver into their final orbital positions. A Falcon 9 rocket climbs away from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with the first 21 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. “This means Starlink can provide more bandwidth with increased reliability and connect millions of more people around the world with high-speed internet,” SpaceX said. The V2 Mini satellites have more powerful phased array antennas than older Starlink satellites, and introduce E-band for backhaul links with gateway stations. The Starlink V2 satellites will be capable of transmitting signals directly to cell phones, a step forward in connectivity from space that other companies are also pursuing. “But don’t let the name fool you, a V2 Mini satellite has four times the capacity for serving users compared to its earlier counterparts.” “The V2 satellites launched on Falcon 9 are a bit smaller, so we affectionately refer to them as ‘V2 Mini’ satellites,” SpaceX said. But the program has faced developmental delays, and SpaceX decided to build miniature versions of the upgraded Starship-compatible Version 2 Starlink satellites to fly on Falcon 9 rockets. SpaceX could attempt to launch the huge Starship rocket into space for the first time as soon next month from South Texas. The Starship has nearly 10 times the payload lift capability of a Falcon 9 rocket, with greater volume for satellites, too. The upgraded Starlink V2 Mini satellites are an intermediate step between SpaceX’s original Starlink satellite design, and an even larger spacecraft platform SpaceX plans to deploy using its new-generation Starship rocket. The new Starlink satellite design debuted on Monday’s launch, called “V2 Mini,” have four times the communications capacity of earlier generations of Starlink satellites, known as Version 1.5, SpaceX said. SpaceX delayed the launch from earlier Monday afternoon to wait for radiation levels to abate following a solar storm that sparked dramatic auroral displays visible across Northern Europe and Canada. SpaceX launched the first batch of next-generation Starlink internet satellites Monday from Cape Canaveral, deploying 21 bigger, heavier, more capable spacecraft to boost capacity for the global broadband network.Ī Falcon 9 rocket hauled the 21 Starlink satellites into a 230-mile-high (370-kilometer) orbit after lifting off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:13:50 p.m.
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