SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Tuesday morning (May 28).
A Falcon 9 rocket lofted 23 Starlink spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday at 10:24 a.m. EDT (1424 GMT) during a four-hour window beginning at 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT).
The launch had originally been targeted for Monday (May 27), but SpaceX stood down from the attempt.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
The Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth about 8 minutes after launch, landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was the 10th launch and landing for this particular first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description. Six of its nine flights to date have been Starlink missions.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued carrying the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, where they were expected to be deployed about 65 minutes after liftoff.
Tuesday’s launch was SpaceX’s 53rd orbital mission of the year already, and its 37th of 2024 dedicated to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists of nearly 6,000 operational satellites.
And there are many more flights to come: SpaceX plans to launch about 150 missions this year, company representatives have said.
