SpaceX successfully launched a large group of Starlink internet satellites into orbit. The Satellite safely landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea. The event took place on May 10th.
At 4:09 p.m. ET (2009 GMT; 1:09 p.m. local California time), a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 51 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as scheduled.
Following the launch, the Falcon 9’s first stage completed its mission and returned to Earth after approximately 8.5 minutes. The booster successfully landed on SpaceX’s drone ship named “Of Course I Still Love You.” This marks the third launch and landing for this specific booster.
Simultaneously, the Falcon 9’s upper stage continued its journey to low Earth orbit. It deployed the 51 Starlink satellites as planned, around 17.5 minutes after liftoff. SpaceX has already launched over 4,300 satellites for its Starlink broadband omega constellation. However, the company aims to send up many more. It has received approval to deploy 12,000 Starlink spacecraft and has requested authorization for an additional 30,000.
This launch signifies the 28th flight of the year for Falcon 9. In addition, SpaceX has successfully conducted two missions with its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket in 2023. Furthermore, on April 20th, the company achieved a significant milestone by launching the fully stacked Starship, its next-generation spaceflight system, into the sky for the first time.
