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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying a total of 51 second-generation Starlink satellites into orbit

This was the first launch in support of deploying the second shell of Starlink satellites

The Second Starlink Shell

Monday’s launch, designated Starlink Group 2-1, began the second main stage of deploying the Starlink satellite internet constellation

SpaceX had previously launched 1740 Starlink spacecraft over the course of over 30 missions, all of which have been either development spacecraft or satellites for the first “shell” of the constellation

Previous Starlink flights have seen the vast majority of satellites deployed at an orbital inclination of 53 degrees, constituting the first shell of the Starlink constellation

In order to build the second shell, SpaceX is now deploying satellites at an approximately 70-degree inclination, which will allow for Starlink coverage in northern parts of the Americas such as Canada’s territories or Alaska, as well as Northern Europe and Southern parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. 

Alongside the first and second shells, SpaceX has deployed a small number of Starlink spacecraft at 97.5 degrees, utilizing spare spots on Falcon 9 smallsat rideshare missions, which will allow Starlink to begin providing coverage for polar regions

With the booster returned to Earth, the Falcon 9’s second stage finished the heavy lifting to get the payload to orbit

After under ten minutes of coasting, the 51 satellites were deployed, and the first components of the Second Starlink shell are now in orbit