SpaceX Launched 60 Satellites Into Orbit For High Speed Internet Plan

SpaceXhas just launched 60 of it's Starlink satellites into the orbit of the Earth, as part of Elon Musk's plan to provide high-speed internet to remote and rural parts of the world.

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SpaceX wants to provide the fastest internet on Earth. And apparently, sending satellites off Earth is the answer to achieving the fastest broadband we've seen before. SpaceX is aiming to have it's own satellite internet service up and running by 2020, and on November 11 it sent another 60 new satellites into the sky to join the 60 satellites that were launched there in May. The photo above is what a satellite actually looks like. Weird, right?

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The 60 satellies were carrried into the orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket, which is partially reusable. To build the internet service, eight Falcon 9 rockets will have to be sent into the Earth's orbit. The most recent Falcon 9 rocket was launched at 14:56 UTC from a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. You can see footage of the rocket launching on SpaceX's Twitter page.

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After the first 60 satellites were launched, they were able to be seen from space looking like a line of brightly glowing stars. SpaceX is hoping to launch 24 rockets into the atmosphere loaded with satellites, but so far in 2019, only two rockets have been launched. The mission should be completed sometime in mid to late 2020.

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Once the Falcon 9 rocket reached an altitude of 174 miles, the satellites were deployed. Because the latest satellites were sent into a lower operational orbital altitude than the previous 60, the satellites should be able to be seen with the naked eye on clear nights. Don't forget to look up tonight and see if you can spot the line of bright lights in the sky!

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