SpaceX just launched a giant communications satellite into orbit

Late Monday night, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket that launched a massive 10,000-pound satellite into orbit. The Amazon Nexus was placed into geostationary transfer orbit just 36 minutes after launch, where it began its long journey to stable geostationary orbit.

SpaceX’s launch of the Amazonas Nexus satellite will help provide expanded internet coverage for the next 15 years. This particularly massive satellite will cover the entire American continent as well as Greenland and the North and South Atlantic Corridors.

The main goal here, according to HISPASAT, is to provide connectivity services in the most remote areas possible, as well as in air and sea mobility environments. The satellite that SpaceX recently launched was actually developed by HISPASAT and will help improve all the services HISPASAT offers around the world.

At the moment, it’s unclear if Musk plans to have Starlink feed off of it in any way. But given the number of clusters of Starlink satellites the company has put into orbit, that’s unlikely. In addition to improving HISPASAT’s coverage, this latest SpaceX satellite launch has other payloads to offer.

The nearly 10,000-pound satellite is also equipped with a high-bandwidth protected communications transponder that the US Space Force will use as part of the Pathfinder 2 military mission. This mission will enhance the diversity and flexibility of US Space Force communications.

SpaceX continues to put satellites and other vital components into orbit and could even assist in future space exploration missions alongside NASA’s Artemis lunar missions. The company has also shown exemplary use of reusable rockets, making these missions more affordable and sustainable.

In fact, the rocket that powered this massive SpaceX satellite launch was safely recovered when it landed at sea, allowing it to eventually be used in another important launch mission.

Source: bgr.com