The US Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has launched another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites toward orbit and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 51 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on schedule today at 4:09 p.m. ET (2009 GMT; 1:09 p.m. local California time), SpaceX said in a statement.
The Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned.
It was the third launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, continued making its way to low Earth orbit, where it deployed the 51 Starlink satellites as planned about 17.5 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX has already launched more than 4,300 satellites for Starlink, its broadband megaconstellation.
Source: Qatar News Agency