SpaceX launched 22 Starlink internet satellites into orbit tonight (August 31) and returned the rockets to land at sea.
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida this evening at 22:21 EDT (0221 GMT September 1).
The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth as planned, landing about 8.5 minutes after liftoff aboard SpaceX’s unmanned spacecraft, A Shortfall of Gravity, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Related: Starlink space train: How to see and track it in the night sky
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lands on the drone ship shortly after touching down on August 31, 2023. (Image credit: SpaceX)
This was the seventh launch and landing of this particular booster, according to A SpaceX mission description. The company’s record reuse, by the way, is 16 flights made in two different Falcon 9 stages.
The upper stage of the Falcon 9 continues to fly tonight. If all goes according to plan, it will deploy 22 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) approximately 65 minutes after liftoff.
Tonight’s Starlink launch was supposed to be the second half of SpaceX’s dual project: The Falcon 9 rocket is slated to launch the last 13 satellites for the US Space Force from Cape Canaveral this morning.
However, SpaceX canceled the planned launch due to undisclosed issues. The company now targets Friday (Sept. 1) at 11:26 a.m. EST (1526 GMT) for Space Force liftoff. You can watch it here on Space.com when the time comes.
Editors Note: This story was updated at 10:48 pm EST on August 31 with news of a successful launch and landing of the rocket.
2023-09-01 06:05:00
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