SpaceX has launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit.
A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday (Dec. 8) at 3:03 a.m. EST (0803 GMT; 12:03 a.m. local California time).
The Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth for a vertical landing about 8.5 minutes after launch. It touched down on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You,” which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
It was the 13th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Six of its 12 previous flights have been Starlink missions.
The 22 Starlink satellites, meanwhile, were set to deploy from the Falcon 9’s upper stage into low Earth orbit about 62.5 minutes after liftoff.
Friday morning’s launch was the 91st orbital mission of 2023 for SpaceX, extending the company’s single-year record. The previous mark, 61 launches, was set in 2022.
The majority of SpaceX rocket launches in 2023 were used to add to the ever-growing Starlink satellite megaconstellation, which currently consists of more than 5,000 operational spacecraft. And that number will continue to rise for a few years at least; SpaceX already has regulatory approval to launch a total 12,000 Starlink craft and has applied to loft an additional 30,000.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
