In yet another act of altruism, albeit a revenue earning example, SpaceX used its Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket to launch 40 OneWeb satellites for its Starlink communicaitons constellation competitor OneWeb on the same day that its own Starlink launch was delayed (a mission from Vandenberg carrying Starlink satellites has been delayed until 12 January). The launch to a near polar low Earth orbit took place from Cape Canveral, Florida at 0450 GMT on 10 January. The launch was the 16th OneWeb launch of a campaign which, until SpaceX stepped in, looked set to be stymied by launch cancellations caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and by the late arrival of Ariane 6. To date 542 satellites out of its 648 satellite constellation have been launched.
The reusable upper stage, B1076 on its second flight, was successfully returned to the Florida coast to land at LZ-1 (Landing Zone 1).
OneWeb satellite deploys from Falcon 9 upper stage on 10 January 2023. Courtesy: SpaceX
