SpaceX, which is frequently on the agenda with Starlink satellites, announced its 2024 targets. According to the announced information, SpaceX will perform at least 144 launches in 2024 to send more Starlink satellites into orbit.
SpaceX will perform at least 144 launches in 2024
SpaceX will strive to reach 100 flights by the end of 2023, company executive Bill Gerstenmaier told the US Senate Subcommittee on Space and Science. SpaceX’s goal of 12 flights per month in 2024 is both intriguing and a little worrying.
Starlink announced its plan to offer satellite cell phone service earlier this year, and that means putting more satellites in space around our planet. While Starlink’s expansion is an expected move, concerns continue to grow about how crowded near-Earth orbit is becoming with satellites.
Especially with the rapid proliferation of commercial space stations and NASA’s plans to retire the ISS station in the near future, there is concern that space will turn into a garbage dump.
According to the data released, there are currently more than 3,500 Starlink satellites in orbit. With this number set to increase rapidly in the future, Starlink will soon have a tight grip on the near-Earth orbital space.
It remains to be seen whether this increase will create problems for future space mission launches, but we have heard concerns in the past about how Starlink and others are filling up space around our planet.
As these new satellites get bigger and bigger, it also makes sense to question how they might impact the light pollution issue, which after the launch of BlueWalker 3, another cellular network, saw the brightest light in the sky turn into a satellite-based satellite.
SpaceX is also working with other agencies to launch various satellites and missions into space, and will play a role in the Artemis III mission to return humanity to the Moon. The company is expected to do more collaborative work with the US government next year.
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