SpaceX achieved another successful launch on Sunday, sending 22 additional Starlink satellites into space. The Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:41 p.m. EDT. The satellites were placed into low-Earth orbit, joining the existing constellation of thousands of orbitals that provide global high-speed, low-latency Internet.
Kate Tice, senior quality systems engineering manager at SpaceX, stated before liftoff that the weather conditions presented only a 10% chance of violating the launch commit criteria. This launch marks SpaceX’s 53rd of the year and its 252nd to date.
The first-stage booster, which was on its fourth mission, successfully returned to Earth and landed on the Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. Both fairing halves used in the mission were flight tested, with one having completed its eighth mission and the other its tenth. These fairing halves were planned to be retrieved by the Doug droneship.
This launch follows SpaceX’s deployment of 22 Starlink satellites last month and the recent launch of a single Intelsat satellite. SpaceX continues to make progress in expanding its satellite network and advancing space exploration technology.
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