SpaceX launched another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites into orbit and landed a rocket on a ship at sea on Tuesday (August 9).
One step in two steps Falcon 9 rocket topped with 52 Stellar Link The spacecraft lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday at 10:14 p.m. EDT (02:14 GMT on August 10).
Just under nine minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth for a vertical landing on the SpaceX drone A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida.
Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, continued to head into low Earth orbit, eventually deploying the Starlink satellites as planned about 15 minutes after liftoff. SpaceX confirmed via Twitter (opens in a new tab).
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink megaconstellation launches in photos
Starlink is SpaceX’s internet megaconstellation, which broadcasts broadband service to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Elon Musk’s company now has launched more than 3,000 Starlink satellites (opens in a new tab) in orbit, but many more will probably go up; SpaceX has clearance to launch 12,000 devices and has requested clearance to launch 30,000 more.
Tonight’s launch was the company’s 21st Starlink mission of 2022 and its 35th orbital flight of the year overall, adding to a SpaceX record. The company’s previous mark for most orbital missions in a year was 31, set in 2021.
Rocket reuse is a high priority for SpaceX, which sees it as a breakthrough that will help make Mars colonization possible.
The Falcon 9 first stage that flew on Tuesday already had two spaceflights under its belt, according to a SpaceX mission description (opens in a new tab). That’s impressive, but it’s a far cry from SpaceX’s record; three different Falcon 9 boosters were launched 13 orbital missions to date.
The Starlink launch was part of a very active day for SpaceX. Also today, the company conducted “static fire” engine testing at its South Texas plant. with Booster 7 and Ship 24prototypes of its Starship deep-space transportation system.
SpaceX is preparing Booster 7 and Ship 24 for the first-ever orbital test flight of the Starship program, which the company aims to launch in the coming months.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:20 p.m. EDT August 9 to include information from the webcast and to correct the scheduled time of the satellite’s deployment (to approximately 15 minutes after liftoff, rather than an hour ). It was updated again at 10:43 p.m. EDT with news of the successful launch and landing and static fire tests of Booster 7 and Ship 24.
Mike Wall is the author of “The low (opens in a new tab)(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for extraterrestrial life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in a new tab). Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab) Or on Facebook (opens in a new tab).