SpaceX sent another group of Starlink satellites to space today (Aug. 10) as the company continues to assemble its giant internet constellation.
A Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink spacecraft to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida today at 8:50 a.m. EDT (1250 GMT), after a one-day weather delay.
As is typical for these missions, the first stage of Falcon 9 made a soft landing back on Earth roughly eight minutes after launch, touching down on the SpaceX droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
This was the 21st time this first stage made the journey to space and back, according to SpaceX. That's just one mission shy of the SpaceX rocket reuse record.
The upper stage of the Falcon 9 deployed the Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit about 64 minutes after liftoff as planned, according to SpaceX.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
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Today's launch was the fourth for SpaceX in August already, after other Starlink launches on Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 and the launch of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on Aug. 4.
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The Falcon 9 was grounded for two weeks last month after a rare failure on July 11, prompting investigations by SpaceX, the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA. SpaceX identified the issue as a liquid oxygen leak in the upper stage of the rocket, traced to a crack in a line linked to a pressure sensor.
SpaceX resumed uncrewed flights in late July. The company's next crewed mission is expected to be Polaris Dawn, a venture funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, no earlier than Aug. 26. NASA's next ISS mission with SpaceX is Crew-9, expected to launch on Sept. 24 or so.
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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight
Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace
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