A Falcon 9 booster will make its 13th flight, carrying 53 Starlink satellites to orbit.
Inside a busy weekend for the company, with three launches
SpaceX's 1st launch out of three this weekend, has scheduled for Friday, June 17, 2022, the launch of Falcon 9 v1.2 FT BL5 B1060.13 with 53 Starlink satellites to low earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 16:08 UTC (12:08 p.m EDT), and a backup opportunity is available on Saturday, June 18, at 15:47 UTC (11:47 a.m EDT).
The 'core' of the first stage of this mission previously launched the GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2 and nine batches of Starlink. After separating the stages, the Falcon 9 core will return to Earth and land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Starlink Update
Royal Caribbean Group mentioned the partnership in a filing with the FCC on Friday. “Working with SpaceX Services, Inc., we believe we have identified a true next generation solution for our vessels that meets the rigorous technical and operational requirements commensurate with our growth plans,” the company said.
“We believe our work with SpaceX, the first of its kind in the cruise industry will set the standard for other cruise operators and will mean a leap in terms of guest experience and business operations while at sea,” the company added. “For this reason, we are eager to advocate for new market entrants to drive a marketplace innovation step change.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has told SpaceX employees the company isn't likely to take its Starlink satellite internet business public until 2025 or later,
"I'm not sure exactly when that [IPO] is, but maybe it will be like — I don't know, just guessing — three or four years from now," Musk said at an all-hands meeting of the private company's employees
Musk emphasized, as he has previously, that the Starlink business needs to be "in a smooth sailing situation" with "good predictability." At that point, "I think spinning it off as a public company can make a lot of sense,"
The latest timeline delay comes despite repeated questions from a variety of investors over the years about owning a piece of SpaceX, a stock which remains privately traded.