Falcon 9 rocket carried 56 satellites
June 23, 2023.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 v1.2 FT Block 5 rocket #B1069.8 launched a batch of Starlink (v1.5) G5-12 satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Station (CCSFS). Takeoff took place on Friday, June 23, 2023, at 15:35:10 UTC – 11:35:10 EDT. The rocket put fifty-six satellites into orbit, from numbers 2,830 to 2,885 of this 1.5 version – respectively the 4,642° to 4,697° in the Starlink constellation. The mission marked the first time a Falcon 9 rocket head fairing shell made its tenth flight.
After separation, first stage B1069.8 landed on the drone ferry Just Read The Instructions parked in the Atlantic Ocean 637 km from shore, towed by the boat Crosby Skipper; the fairing shells would be para foiled offshore from a short distance by the support vessel Bob. The initial orbit was 299 km x 339 km, inclined at 43 degrees, ascending in southeast azimuth. Re-entry of the rocket's second stage would occur during the second orbit, over the Indian Ocean.
The Group 5 satellites settle at an altitude of 530 km at that 43.0-degree inclination. In November 2021, CEO Elon Musk hinted that the inefficiencies of the original Starlink V1 satellites could bankrupt the company if not he could start launching larger V2 satellites on his Starship spacecraft by the end of 2022. The permission that SpaceX received from the American Federal Communications Administration (FCC) allows the company to place its 2nd generation constellation in a circular orbit of 530 km with the intended inclination of 43.0 degrees in this launch and also at 525 km with 53.0 degrees and finally, at 535 km, inclined at 33.0 degrees