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.”
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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.
