SpaceX launched one other massive batch of its Starlink broadband satellites and landed a rocket on a ship at sea on Thursday night (October 27).
A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 53 Stellar Hyperlink The satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Area Power Base in California on Thursday at 9:14 p.m. EDT (6:14 p.m. native California time; 0114 GMT on October 28).
Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth and made a exact touchdown just below 9 minutes after launching on the SpaceX Of Course I Nonetheless Love You drone, which was stationed within the Pacific Ocean.
Associated: SpaceX’s Starlink megaconstellation launches in images
This was the eighth take-off and touchdown for this specific booster, in accordance with a SpaceX mission description (opens in a brand new tab). The rocket beforehand helped launch the Sentinel-6 Earth commentary satellite tv for pc Michael Freilich in November 2020, NASA DART asteroid destruction probe in November 2021, and 5 extra Starlink missions.
Falcon 9’s higher stage, in the meantime, continued to move into low Earth orbit, ultimately deployment of the 53 Starlinks (opens in a brand new tab) 15.5 minutes after launch as anticipated.
SpaceX has launched greater than 3,500 satellites (opens in a brand new tab) for Starlink, its Web megaconstellation, which already gives companies to clients world wide.
Many of those spacecraft have elevated this 12 months. SpaceX has now flown 49 orbital missions in 2022, and almost two-thirds of them have carried giant Starlink bundles skyward.
Editor’s be aware: This story has been up to date to right the launch time for SpaceX’s Starlink launch. It was additionally up to date at 9:49 p.m. EDT on October 27 with information of the profitable launch, rocket touchdown and satellite tv for pc deployment.
Mike Wall is the writer of “The low (opens in a brand new tab)(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a guide in regards to the seek for extraterrestrial life. Observe him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in a brand new tab). Observe us on twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a brand new tab) Or on Fb (opens in a brand new tab).