SpaceX just launched a massive communications satellite into orbit
Late Monday evening, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a massive 10,000-pound satellite into orbit. The Amazonas Nexus was delivered to a geostationary transfer orbit just 36 minutes after liftoff, where it began its long journey to a stable geostationary orbit.
SpaceX’s launch of the Amazonas Nexus satellite will help provide expanded internet coverage for the next 15 years. This particular massive satellite will offer coverage to the entire American continent, as well as Greenland and the North and South Atlantic corridors.
The main goal here, HISPASAT says, is to provide connectivity services in the most remote areas that it can, as well as in air and maritime mobility environments. The satellite which SpaceX recently launched was actually developed by HISPASAT, and will help improve any services that HISPASAT offers around the globe.
At the moment, it's unclear if Musk plans for Starlink to feed off it in any manner. However, given how many clusters of Starlink satellites the company has put into orbit, it’s unlikely. On top of improving HISPASAT’s coverage, this most recent SpaceX satellite launch has other payloads to offer.
The almost 10,000-pound satellite is also equipped with a high-bandwidth protected communication transponder that the U.S. Space Force will use as part of the military Pathfinder 2 mission. That mission will improve the diversity and flexibility of the U.S. Space Force’s communications.
SpaceX continues to launch satellites and other important components into orbit, and could even be helpful in future space exploration missions alongside NASA’s Artemis moon missions. The company has also shown exemplary use of reusable rockets, making these missions more affordable and sustainable.
In fact, the rocket used to power this massive SpaceX satellite launch was safely recovered when it landed at sea, allowing it to be used in yet another important launch mission somewhere down the line.
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SpaceX just launched a massive communications satellite into orbit originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 7 Feb 2023 at 13:09:32 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.