SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Wednesday night (March 12).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink craft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. EDT (0235 GMT on March 13).
About 8.5 minutes later, the rocket’s first stage came back to Earth, acing its touchdown on the SpaceX drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas.” It was the 22nd launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a company mission description.
The rocket’s upper stage did its job as well, deploying the 21 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) as planned.SpaceX has now launched nearly 8,100 Starlink satellites to date, more than 7,000 of which remain operational in LEO, according to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.
Source:https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-satellite-launch-group-12-21
