CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — SpaceX launched its third batch of Starlink satellites into orbit from a U.S. Air Force base in Florida on Monday evening.<br /><br />Space.com reports that a Falcon 9 rocket carried the satellites in its first stage and that the launch marked the second time SpaceX reused a booster four times.<br /><br />Citing SpaceX, AFP reports that after deployment, the satellites would utilize ion thrusters to reach an orbit of 550 km to avoid collisions at higher, more congested space.<br /><br />MIT Technology Review reports that SpaceX now operates 180 Starlinks, making the company the owner of the world's largest constellation of commercial satellites.<br /><br />According to the publication, the reusable first stage booster was successfully recovered by a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, but not the payload fairing.<br /><br />The lost component is worth an estimated US$3 million.<br /><br />However, the program has come under criticism because the satellites reflect glare that interferes with astronomical observatories.<br /><br />The MIT Technology Review reports that SpaceX has applied a light absorbing coating to the new satellites to address those concerns.
