SpaceX Will Launch "Dozens" of Starlink Satellites on May 15

SpaceX's first launch to transport many Starlink broadband satellites is scheduled for May 15, according to a company executive.

Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said the launch will carry "dozens of satellites," adding more prototypes to the two that are currently in low Earth orbit.

"This next batch of satellites will really be a demonstration set for us to see the deployment scheme and start building our network," he said at the 2019 Satellite conference here. "We started launching satellites for real service later this year."

Shotwell said SpaceX anticipates launching two to six times more for its Starlink broadband constellation in addition to the May 15 release. The number of Starlink launches that occur this year will depend on the results of this first batch, he said.

SpaceX is planning a constellation that could have about 12,000 satellites, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission of the United States. The company said in 2017 that it would need 800 satellites in orbit for the commercial service, an estimated target for 2020 to 2021.

Shotwell said the demonstration satellites that will be launched on May 15 will be reduced to "test satellites" that lack inter-satellite links. The test satellites will have very capable on-board and electric propulsion antennas, he said.

Shotwell said the launch, scheduled for early May, was delayed until May 15 as a result of delays with a cargo mission prior to the International Space Station for NASA. SpaceX launched a Dragon supply capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS on May 4 after a power problem at the station and a subsequent electrical problem with the SpaceX rocket recovery drone-hip delayed the mission from May 1.

SpaceX is targeting between 18 and 21 releases this year, not including Starlink missions, Shotwell said. That rate is consistent with previous years: SpaceX was launched 18 times in 2017- and 21-times last year, but less than the 30 to 40 annual launches that the company predicted in 2017.

Shotwell said SpaceX expanded its manufacturing capacity to 40 rockets per year in anticipation of a commercial boom that did not happen.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://spacenews.com/spacex-to-launch-dozens-of-starlink-satellites-may-15-more-starlink-launches-to-follow/