SpaceX expanded its low Earth orbit megaconstellation on Tuesday (Could 19), including 24 extra Starlink satellites on a profitable launch from California.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 10:46 p.m. EDT (0246 GMT on Could 20 or 7:46 p.m. PDT native time) from Area Launch Complicated 4 East at Vandenberg Area Drive Base in southern California. The Starlink satellites (Group 17-42), nonetheless mounted within the rocket’s higher stage, reached a preliminary orbit about 8 minutes and 40 seconds after their launch.
Earlier Booster B1103 launches
The Falcon 9 rocket, booster 1103, accomplished its first reuse (second flight) by touchdown on the Pacific Ocean-based droneship, “Of Course I Nonetheless Love.”
Tuesday’s launch introduced the Starlink satellite tv for pc community to only underneath 10,500 working items, in line with tracker Jonathan McDowell.
The launch was SpaceX’s 58th mission of the yr, and the corporate’s 651st profitable launch since 2010.
