SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 satellite carrying the Globalstar satellite. What will it do? Know the details here.
SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket early Sunday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket took off with the Globalstar satellite. The satellite will add additional capacity to Globalstar’s commercial satellite data relay network. Elon Musk’s SpaceX covered the Falcon 9 Globalstar FM15 launch event live.
Talking about the launch event, SpaceX noted in a statement, “The Falcon 9 first stage boosters supporting this mission have previously carried Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Had supported the launch of a Starlink mission, Transporter.-4, and Transporter-5.” The Globalstar-2 FM15 spacecraft is part of Globalstar’s second generation constellation of low Earth orbit communications satellites built by Thales Alenia Space.
About Globalstar Satellites
Globalstar provides voice and data services around the world using its fleet of satellites. The company’s first generation group, which was put into operation between 1998 and 2000, had 48 operational satellites as well as parts that were already in orbit. The 32 satellites that were initially planned for the second generation system have been reduced to 24 that are currently in orbit.
These second generation satellites, including FM15, have an operational life expectancy of 15 years and are built on Thales’ Extended Lifetime Bus 1000 (ELiTeBus-1000) architecture. The Soyuz-2-1A/Fregate rockets launched 24 satellites, which are already in orbit, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in groups of six. According to Globalstar’s plans, a third-generation spacecraft will gradually replace these satellites in 2025, NASA Spaceflight reported.
The Globalstar-2 satellite, weighing 700 kg, is carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for its orbit. In addition, the Falcon 9’s first stage booster is scheduled to land on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS), which typically happens when the rocket is carrying a heavy payload or is aiming for higher orbits.
You can watch the Falcon 9 launch of the Globalstar FM15 satellite in orbit Here,
