SpaceX unveiled its Maxar 3 mission, with two high-resolution satellites on board, from Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday after Monday’s launch.
“SpaceX has demonstrated that it is now scheduled to launch our Kennedy Space Center World Legion satellites on Feb. 4,” Maxar Technologies wrote earlier Monday in an article about X, along with images from the satellites.
Launch Update: @spacex has been shown to be now scheduled to launch our Kennedy Space Center Society 5th and 6th World Legion satellites on February 4th. The launch window opens at 6:07. ET p. m.
Approximately 47 minutes after liftoff, the world’s First Legion satellite will be deployed. The satellite moment is scheduled to deploy approximately one hour and 50 minutes into the flight.
The two World Vision Legion satellites were sent to Florida from Maxar Space Systems’ facility in Palo Alto, California, in early January. The satellites will be Maxar’s first block of satellites, once launched into orbit.
This is the fourth flight for the Falcon Nine First Stage Booster 1086, which will launch on Tuesday. The first level in the past introduced Goes-U and two Starlink missions. After the split levels 8 minutes after launch, Falcon Nine will land in the Touchdown Zone at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which may cause a sonic boom in central Florida.
According to Maxar Technologies, there are 4 Legion World Vision satellites operating in Earth’s inclined orbit and six satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit lately, according to Maxar Technologies.
“With satellites now in synchronous, tilted orbits of the sun, the Maxar constellation has more ability to feel than ever before, 85% accumulating over Earth’s mid-latitudes!” Maxar Technologies wrote in a December article about X.
: This GIF represents the Mio orbits of 4 World Legion satellites.
Readarray . . pic. twitter. com/337yubwtsl— Maxar Technologies (@maxar) December 3, 2024
Earlier Tuesday, Falcon Nine introduced 21 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The satellites, introduced at 5:15 a. m. , included thirteen with direct mobile capabilities.
Direct-to-mobile capabilities allow Starlink’s satellites to “function as space-based mobile towers, offering mobile service to popular LTE phones,” according to SpaceX. Direct to Cell will enable global knowledge service, text messaging, and voice calling by “improving connectivity in remote or underserved areas. “
Tuesday morning’s flight was on the 21st for the first leg, which in the past introduced the OneWeb 1, Ses 18 19, Eutelsat Hotbird-F1, CRS-24 and 17 Starlink missions.
Falcon Nine Offers 21 @starlink Satellites to the Constellation, Adding Thirteen with Direct pic. twitter. com/dktjyninef6t2-celle-célula-SpaceX Capabilities (@spacex) February 4, 2025