And there are only 300 satellites of the Starlink constellation placed in orbit by SpaceX, as a plan by Elon Musk's company to create a fast and cheap internet network with global supply. This morning the company launched another set of 60 satellites on board the Falcon 9, coinciding with its 80 flight into space.
The rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral at 10 am (local time) as planned, with satellites being released in its constellation. The only problem was the return of the Falcon, which almost missed the target when landing on the unmanned vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX plans to launch 42,000 satellites, so it still has a long way to go, and keeping the pace of 60 devices per flight, Falcon 9 will have to make almost 700 flights to complete the predicted constellation, at an almost fortnightly pace.
It should be remembered that the sending of satellites has caused some concern in the community of astronomers, due to their light pollution in the night skies, which in the future will cost the dazzling starry sky. As mentioned in an article by Popular Science, investment in the design and fine-tuning, over the decades, of sensitive optical equipment, built to capture the blink of the tiniest glow, in the confines of the galaxy, is now threatened with these artificial elements that increasingly overload the ass.
To commemorate the 80 flights of Falcon 9, see below some moments of the SpaceX rocket in action.
