Shillong, October 22: SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, is setting ambitious goals to achieve 12 launches per month, equivalent to launching a mission every three days.
As per IANS, the aerospace company plans to conduct 144 launches next year, as revealed by a company official in a statement to ArsTechnica.
The primary objective is to deploy a larger number of Starlink satellites into orbit, supporting the forthcoming satellite-based cell phone service. Initially, the service will offer text messaging only, with voice and data services expected to be introduced in 2025 and beyond.
The SpaceX official mentioned, “With our 2 million users, we need that constellation refreshed. We’re also going to look at direct-to-cell communications with Starlink, and that’s a key feature that gets added next year with those 144 flights.”
In the past year, SpaceX accomplished 61 missions, and within the last 12 months, they launched 88 rockets, including a test flight of the massive Starship rocket destined for Mars. This success has been facilitated by the recovery and reuse of Falcon 9 boosters and payload fairings.
Notably, SpaceX continues its relentless launch schedule. In a recent mission, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried 23 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, marking the company’s second launch in just 24 hours. These satellites will contribute to the provision of affordable internet service to customers worldwide, with around 4,900 operational Starlink satellites currently in orbit.
SpaceX’s satellite internet service, led by Elon Musk, is exploring entry points into the growing Indian internet market and has seen significant revenue growth, generating $1.4 billion in revenue last year, a substantial increase from $222 million in 2021, although falling short of its initial $11 billion projections.
