SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites this morning (April 5), on the first leg of a spaceflight doubleheader for the company.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of SpaceX’s Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida today at 5:12 a.m. EDT (0912 GMT).
The Falcon 9’s first stage then came back to Earth safely, making a vertical landing about 8.5 minutes after liftoff on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
It was the 14th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, hauled the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, deploying them there about 65 minutes after liftoff as planned.
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This morning’s launch was the 33rd orbital mission of the year already for SpaceX, and the 22nd of 2024 devoted to building out the giant Starlink megaconstellation.
The liftoff was also the first leg of a planned Starlink doubleheader: SpaceX plans to launch 21 more of the internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California tonight during a four-hour window that opens at 10:31 p.m. EDT (0231 GMT on April 6).
