SpaceX released yet another huge batch of its Starlink broadband satellites and landed a rocket on a ship at sea Thursday night (Oct. 27).
A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 53 Starlink satellites took off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base Thursday at 9: 14 p.m. EDT (6: 14 p.m. regional California time; 0114 GMT on Oct. 28).
The Falcon 9’s very first phase returned to Earth and made an identify landing a little less than 9 minutes after launch on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink megaconstellation launches in pictures
It was the 8th liftoff and landing for this specific booster, according to a SpaceX objective description(opens in brand-new tab) The rocket formerly assisted release the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Earth-observation satellite in November 2020, NASA’s DART asteroid-smashing probe in November 2021, and 5 other Starlink objectives.
The Falcon 9’s upper phase, on the other hand, continued powering its method to low Earth orbit, ultimately releasing the 53 Starlinks(opens in brand-new tab)15.5 minutes after launch as prepared.
SpaceX has actually released more than 3,500 satellites(opens in brand-new tab) for Starlink, its web megaconstellation, which currently supplies service to clients around the globe.
Many of those spacecraft have actually increased this year. SpaceX has actually now performed 49 orbital objectives in 2022, and almost two-thirds of them have actually transported huge Starlink batches skyward.
Editor’s note: This story was upgraded to fix the launch time for SpaceX’s Starlink launch. It was likewise upgraded at 9: 49 p.m. EDT on Oct. 27 with the news of effective launch, rocket landing and satellite release.
Mike Wall is the author of “ Out There(opens in brand-new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; highlighted by Karl Tate), a book about the look for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall(opens in brand-new tab) Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom(opens in brand-new tab) or on Facebook(opens in brand-new tab)