This morning, around 3. 30 (Italian time) there should have been yet another launch of the Starlink satellites by by SpaceX . The company of Elon Musk has however decided to postpone the launch for reasons still unclear until tomorrow morning , Italian time (at 3. 34).

The launch of new SpaceX Starlink satellites postponed

No problem with the load of 60 satellites or the launcher as reported by the same SpaceX in a tweet . The message reads “We have given up on today’s Starlink launch. The rocket and payload are in good condition . I team will take additional time to complete the data reviews and are now working on the backup opportunity for Monday 23 November at 21: 34 but keeping an eye on the time in the recovery area “.

This would not have been a satellite launch like the others for SpaceX . In fact the first stage had already been used in six missions. With the one that should have started today there would have been seven: a record . In particular, the first mission was in September 2018 (Telstar 18 VANTAGE), then January 2019 (Iridium -8) and four missions dedicated to Starlink (from May 2019 to August 2020).

The mission should have departed from Cape Canaveral in Florida with the first stage that was supposed to land on the OCISLY drone barge (Of Course I Still Love You). fairing , ie the load covers, had already been used: one half once while the other two. We remind you that even these components that seem “economic” actually cost about $ 6 million.

This mission of SpaceX would also have been important due to its proximity to the satellite launch NASA / ESA Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich always happened with a Falcon 9 , which took place on the evening of 21 November. In fact, they would have been two launches made by a private company at a very short distance from each other.

We also remember that as the constellation of Starlink satellites there will be more and more possibilities for users to connect. The phase of beta testing has begun in recent weeks public call “Better Than Nothing Beta” with the delivery of the kits to the various users, with an astronaut among them. In March 2021 it could be the turn of the European market with the first users who will be able to connect to the satellites of SpaceX .