Starlink launches in March 2023
Starlink Group 2-7: March 1, 2023/TIME TBD
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Vandenberg Area Power Base, California | DATE/TIME MAY CHANGE
Starlink Group 6-3: DATE/TIME TBD
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral, Florida
Starlink Group 2-2: DATE/TIME TBD
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral, Florida
Starlink Group 5-10: DATE/TIME TBD
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral, Florida
Starlink Group 5-5: DATE/TIME TBD
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral, Florida
Starlink Group 2-8: DATE/TIME TBD
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Vandenberg SFB, California
Starlink Group 2-6: DATE/TIME TBD
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Vandenberg SFB, California
You possibly can watch above or go on to SpaceX’s YouTube channel for a livestream of the launch. Livestreams sometimes start about 5 minutes earlier than liftoff.
After launch, search for a prepare of lights
Following each Starlink launch, the web buzzes with folks asking:
What’s that lengthy line of lights within the sky that appears like a prepare?
What you’re seeing is the Starlink satellites shifting into a better orbit. You possibly can examine to see if they are going to go over your space utilizing the Find Starlink website.
Rising numbers amid controversy
In accordance with Wikipedia, as of February 2023 Starlink consists of over 3,580 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit that talk with designated floor transceivers. They supply web entry to multiple million subscribers.
Love ’em or hate ’em, these Starlink satellites are a part of SpaceX’s imaginative and prescient for a worldwide web communication satellite constellation. They ship high-speed web service worldwide, primarily to places the place ground-based web is unreliable, unavailable or costly. The non-public firm is well-known for launching batches back-to-back, a number of instances a month, commonly lofting 60 satellites at a time. And SpaceX plans to construct as much as maybe as many as 30,000 ultimately.
Most thought it was thrilling to see the primary few Starlink satellites touring collectively within the night time sky. However then extra had been launched, after which extra. And astronomers started to fret.
As a result of Starlinks are vivid, astronomers say they’re photobombing astronomical photos. Due to this fact, they’ve the potential to intrude with the skilled astronomical observations which have introduced us our modern-day view of the cosmos. And though SpaceX has tried to handle the difficulty, they continue to be removed from what astronomers say is appropriate.
Backside line: SpaceX has six Starlink launches deliberate for the month of March 2023.
Read more from EarthSky: Starlink satellites can look like a plume or train of light
