SpaceX launched 23 of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit today, marking a new milestone in the company’s reusability mission.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:14 a.m. EDT (1114 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Aboard the rocket was a batch of 23 Starlink spacecraft, adding to the company’s ever-growing megaconstellation of broadband internet satellites.
The flight marked the first time an individual SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched and landed 22 times. “Falcon 9 lands on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, completing the first 22nd launch and landing of a booster!,” the company posted on X following the flight.
Following launch, the rocket’s second stage separated from the Falcon 9 booster at 2 minutes and 34 seconds into the flight. Its first stage booster then returned to Earth, landing on SpaceX’s “Just Read the Instructions” droneship waiting offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Landing occurred 8 minutes and 14 seconds into the mission.
The company confirmed the deployment of the mission’s 23 Starlink satellites just over an hour after take-off.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
With this mission, the total number of Starlink satellites now in orbit (both operational and non-operational) sums up to well over 6,000.
The first-stage booster that launched the mission now has 15 Starlink missions under its belt in addition to three commercial satellite launches, two GPS spacecraft launches for the U.S. Space Force and two crewed sorties: the all-civilian Inspiration4 flight and the Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station.
Daisy Hips is a science communicator who brings the wonders of the natural world to readers. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to environmental conservation. Daisy is also an advocate for science education and enjoys stargazing in her spare time.
