5 hours ago 2

SpaceX launches 23 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast (video, photos)

SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida this afternoon (March 18).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink craft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 3:57 p.m. EDT (1957 GMT).

About eight minutes later, the rocket's first stage touched down on the SpaceX drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas," which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the 19th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a company mission description.

a black-and-white spacex falcon 9 rocket launches into a blue sky.

The Falcon 9's upper stage deployed the Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) about 65 minutes after liftoff today as planned, SpaceX announced via X.

Those spacecraft will join by far the largest constellation ever assembled: SpaceX currently operates nearly 7,100 Starlink satellites in LEO, according to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.

The Starlink launch wasn't the only action for SpaceX today. The company's Crew-9 astronaut mission came back to Earth from the International Space Station, carrying home three NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut.

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Crew-9's Crew Dragon capsule, named Freedom, splashed down off the Florida coast as planned at 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT).

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

Read Entire Article