SpaceX launched another large batch of its Starlink Internet satellites into orbit and landed a rocket on a ship at sea on Tuesday (August 9).
One of two stages Falcon 9 rocket topped with 52 Starlink the spacecraft lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:14 p.m. EDT (02:14 GMT Aug 10) on Tuesday.
Just under nine minutes after launch, the Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth for a vertical landing on the SpaceX A Shortfall of Gravitas spacecraft, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9’s upper stage continued to advance 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
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sits on the deck of a drone ship shortly after launching 52 Starlink Internet satellites on August 9, 2022. (Image credit: SpaceX)
Starlink is SpaceX’s Internet megaconstellation, delivering broadband service to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Elon Musk’s company has now launched more than 3,000 Starlink satellites (opens in a new tab) in orbit, but many more will likely rise; SpaceX has permission to lift 12,000 of the spacecraft and has applied for approval 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.
Reusability of rockets is a high priority for SpaceX, which sees it as a breakthrough that will help make the colonization of Mars feasible.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 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 far from SpaceX’s record; three different Falcon 9 boosters have been launched 13 orbital missions so far.
The Starlink launch was part of a busy day for SpaceX. Also today, the company conducted “static fire” engine tests at its South Texas facility with Booster 7 and Ship 24, prototypes of its Starship deep space transportation system.
SpaceX is preparing Booster 7 and Ship 24 for the first orbital test flight of the Starship program, which the company plans to launch in the coming months.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on August 9 at 4:20 p.m. EDT to include information from the webcast and to correct the estimated time of the satellite’s deployment (approximately 15 minutes after the ‘take-off, instead of one hour). Updated again at 10:43 PM EDT with news of successful launch and landing and static fire tests of Booster 7 and Ship 24.
Mike Wall is the author of “Over there (opens in new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in a new tab). follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab) or enabled Facebook (opens in a new tab).