SpaceX launched 53 Starlink satellites on Friday afternoon, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, at 3:21pm ET.
After launching Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit, the Falcon 9 first stage aced its landing on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ located in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX says this marked the 130th landing of a Falcon 9 first stage, and this particular booster previously supported the GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, and three Starlink missions.
This was one of the clearest and lag-free Falcon 9 launches onto a droneship we’ve seen, a real treat for the eyes:
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship pic.twitter.com/uTqAuysTAh
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 19, 2022
SpaceX confirmed Starlink satellites deployed just moments ago.
This was the 57th overall Starlink launch and SpaceX’s 37th launch of the year, setting another record for the company.
As for the Falcon 9 fairings, this was the 56th mission that saw reused and re-flown fairings. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk added today, “Each fairing half is a fully capable reentry vehicle with its own thrusters, thermal protection, avionics [and] sensor suite.”
Currently, Starlink satellite internet is available in 38 countries and 45 markets worldwide.
Check out the full Starlink mission replay below:
