SpaceX Launched 420 Satellites Since the Beginning of March

SpaceX launched 60 Starlink internet broadband satellites on May 4, as the company founded by Elon Musk continues to launch satellites. The company plans to eventually deploy 12,000 satellites in total and said the Starlink constellation will cost it billions of dollars.

Building as well as sending rockets requires a lot of money, but SpaceX is willing to spend roughly $10 billion to deploy 12,000 satellites. Jeff Bezos also invested billions of dollars over the years to make inroads in this market.

Last month, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX’s plan. The company wants to deploy some satellites at a lower orbit than planned. The company agreed to accept that their satellites may encounter interference from satellites deployed under Amazon’s Kuiper Systems satellite project.

SpaceX also launched satellites less than a week ago. In total, the company delivered 420 Starlink satellites since the beginning of March.

This launch took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida and used a reused Falcon 9 booster that has flown eight times in the past. That booster landed back on the company’s floating drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The latest launch was the company’s 115th Falcon 9 launch to this day.

SpaceX and customers

The company also shared updates regarding its Starlink consumer hardware. It received more than half a million preorders for its Starlink satellite service. SpaceX anticipates no technical issues meeting the demand according to Elon Musk. A preorder includes advance deposits on the hardware. They are fully refundable and did not guarantee service.

SpaceX has not set a date for Starlink’s service launch, but the commercial service would not likely be offered in 2021 as it previously planned. Customers who would like to use the service can sign up via SpaceX’s Starlink website. They can place a preorder for the kit, which includes the Starlink receiver, a router, power supplies, as well as mounting hardware for the user’s home.

Currently, the service is available to beta users in six countries: Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., Mexico and Canada. The company’s goal is to cover the vast majority of the globe by the end of 2021 in terms of service availability. SpaceX plans to launch more satellites throughout the rest of the year.