SpaceX Just Launched Two Starlink Batches In One Day

A SpaceX rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 22 Starlink satellites into orbit. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX - also known as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, though the latter is seldom used - recently accomplished a feat that was both impressive and important: launching two batches of Starlink satellites in a single day. The first launch took place from California's Vandenberg Space Force base, sending 27 satellites into Low Earth Orbit (or LEO, for short). Later, another Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, which carried 23 more satellites into the very same Low Earth Orbit. Both missions successfully landed their boosters in the ocean. These well-celebrated satellites are part of SpaceX's growing Starlink megaconstellation (a massive collection of thousands of small satellites that are constantly transmitting information to each other, working together to often provide global coverage for services like internet or communication), which aims to provide high-speed internet access around the world. This huge attainment marks a significant milestone in the path toward global connectivity, especially in remote areas with limited signal and internet access. This could change how entire areas work and earn money. Think about how things would change if isolated regions of the world could gain access to the internet. For instance, in Eritrea, which has a relatively small and remote population and one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the world, residents could start online businesses or YouTube channels as a source of income, all thanks to Starlink. Starlink could create so many new opportunities. However, this achievement has even larger implications. While speedy internet access is a major benefit of such an accomplishment, this feat is also a testament to the flourishing technology that enables us to do this. The speed of the efficient consecutive launches, without any delay, shows that space travel is evolving faster than we know - and think.