SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now

A Falcon 9 aircraft heads southeast from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 28, 2023, carrying a constellation of Starlink satellites into orbit. Photo: Pete Carstens.

The next batch of Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s satellite internet service rose into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket Monday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Liftoff occurred at 11:20 PM EDT (0420 UTC) as the Falcon 9 rocket broke through a thin layer of cloud while heading on a southerly trajectory as it aimed for a 43 degree inclined orbit.

The first stage booster flying on this mission, numbered 1062, made its 17th flight. It has previously supported two crewed missions with the Ax-1 private astronaut mission to the International Space Station as well as the Inspiration4 mission.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed on the “just read the instructions” drone ship about eight and a half minutes after launch. The unmanned vehicle, a converted ocean barge, is one of three operated by SpaceX, and has been stationed about 420 miles (620 km) east of the Bahamas. The two payload halves parachuted a little further away where they were to be picked up by SpaceX’s “Bob” support ship.

A file photo of SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini satellites inside the payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral earlier this year. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX confirmed in a social media post that 23 Starlink satellites were deployed as planned from the Falcon 9 second stage just over an hour into the mission. The successful flight will bring the total number of Starlink satellites launched to 5,514.

Starlink 6-30 in numbers

It was this:

  • Starlink’s 57th mission of 2023
  • 277 Falcon 9 launches to date
  • Launch of the 83rd Falcon 9 rocket in 2023
  • SpaceX’s 87th orbital launch in 2023
  • SpaceX’s 94th orbital launch in the last 365 days
  • SpaceX’s 157th orbital launch from pad 40
  • Mass orbital launch No. 212 from pad 40
  • Sixty-sixth orbital launch from Cape Canaveral
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