SpaceX successfully launched 21 Starlink internet satellites from Florida’s Space Coast early Monday morning (Dec. 23) and successfully landed the returning rocket on a vessel at sea.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink satellites — 13 of which can transmit service directly to mobile phones — took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today at 12:35 a.m. EDT (0535 GMT).
The first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth as scheduled, landing in the Atlantic Ocean approximately eight minutes after liftoff on the SpaceX droneship “Just Read the Instructions.”
This marked the 15th launch and landing for this specific booster, according to a SpaceX mission summary. Out of those flights, eight have been dedicated to Starlink missions.
The upper stage of the Falcon 9 kept transporting the 21 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, scheduled for deployment roughly 65 minutes following launch.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to view and monitor it in the evening sky
Monday’s Starlink launch represented the 129th Falcon 9 mission of 2024. Approximately two-thirds of these missions have been focused on expanding the Starlink broadband megaconstellation, which currently comprises over 6,800 operational satellites.