SpaceX Launches 21 Starlink Satellites Into Low Earth Orbit

Starlink launch (photo: X @SpaceX)

JAKARTA SpaceX, Elon Musk's space company, launched dozens of Starlinks on Monday, December 23. The satellite took off at around 12.37 WIB using the company's Falcon 9 rocket.

There were 21 satellites launched from the 39A Launch Complex (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In its report, SpaceX said that dozens of these satellites were launched into constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Starlink's launch went smoothly and the first stage of its rocket had landed back on Earth, precisely in the Atlantic Ocean about 8 minutes after launch. The entire satellite was also successfully placed in its constellation about 65 minutes after takeoff.

This is the 14th flight and landing for the Falcon 9 booster, according to SpaceX's description on its official website. Of the dozens of flights, eight of them were part of the Starlink mission.

SpaceX also revealed that the dozens of satellites they launched were not ordinary internet networks, but satellites with Direct to Cell support which were still limited to the ability of text messages.

Of the 21 Starlinks deployed to space, 13 of them have the capability of Direct to Cell, while the rest are ordinary internet satellites. This satellite service will continue to be improved so that it can operate properly next year.

Direct to Cell is a satellite internet network that can be accessed on mobile phones without operator intermediaries. This service also allows users to send messages and make calls anywhere, but this service has not been approved across the country.