Love it or hate it, Starlink might be the biggest space undertaking ever once completed. The combined mass of the Starlink satellite constellation exceeds any prior space endeavor. The SpaceX network provides global satellite Internet access will weigh in more than any other prior space program. The constellation consisting of thousands of mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit adds up quickly. Each Falcon 9 launch gets packed full of sixty Starlink satellites. The satellites neatly fit in both size and mass limitations of the Falcon 9.
In 2018, The Federal Communications Commission granted SpaceX approval to launch up to 4,425 low-Earth-orbit satellites at several different altitudes between 1,110km to 1,325km. The following year, the FCC approved a license modification to cut the orbital altitude in half for 1,584 of those satellites. The lower altitude for the Starlink satellites reduces the latency of the Starlink. Yeah initial Starlink will be nearly the mass of the ISS.
Name | Kg | Qty | Total Kg |
Starlink | 260 | 1 | 260 |
Starlink launch | 260 | 60 | 15,600 |
Initial Starlink | 260 | 1,584 | 411,840 |
ISS | 419,725 | 1 | 419,725 |
Partial Starlink | 260 | 1,614 | 419,725 |
Starlink full thrust | 260 | 4,425 | 1,150,500 |
Big freak’n Starlink | 260 | 12,000 | 3,120,000 |