A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a new batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Florida today (Sept. 5), then returned to Earth in a flawless landing. The used Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites from a pad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and landed on a SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Liftoff occurred at 11:33 a.m. EDT (1533 GMT), after a one-day delay due to bad weather.
Image credit: SpaceX
The Starlink 8-11 mission carried aloft SpaceX's 7,001st Starlink satellite, according to launch statistics kept by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, as the 21 satellites joined 6,980 others launched by SpaceX since 2018 (though many have since been retired). The new Starlink batch includes 13 "Direct to Cell" satellites to provide internet coverage directly to smartphones, SpaceX has said.
The launch marked the 15th flight of this particular booster, nine of which were Starlink missions, SpaceX wrote in a mission description. The Falcon 9 landing was the third successful touchdown of a SpaceX rocket in a week after the company's failed landing attempt on Aug. 28 during an otherwise successful Starlink flight.
SpaceX is preparing for yet another rocket launch in a cross-country doubleheader. Another Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch a batch of classified spy satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office at 11:20 p.m. EDT (8:20 p.m. PDT/0320 Sept. 6 GMT) from a pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. That mission, called NROL-113, will mark the 20th launch of its Falcon 9 booster, SpaceX said.
The successful launch came after a series of weather delays and a failed landing attempt last week. SpaceX launched two other Starlink missions on Aug. 31 after receiving clearance to fly from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the failed landing.
Falcon 9 rocket booster B1077 stands on drone ship ‘Just read The Instructions’ landing platform after its 15th successful launch on Sept. 5, 2024. Image credit: SpaceX
Meanwhile, NASA is preparing space flight hardware for the Artemis II, III, and IV moon missions at the Kennedy Space Center. The agency's Pegasus barge arrived at the Turning Basin near the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building on Thursday morning, carrying key components for the lunar missions.
SpaceX has yet to announce the next Polaris Dawn launch attempt from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Poor oceanic splashdown weather for the crew's Dragon capsule appears to be the primary culprit. Navigational warnings issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard indicate the next Polaris Dawn launch window extends from 3:33-7:38 a.m. Saturday.
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