SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket with 21 Starlink satellites aboard on Wednesday at 10:27 am EST from the Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, reported Spaceflight Now. Of these 21 satellites, 13 are equipped to provide text and data cellphone services.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth and landed on the droneship in the Atlantic Ocean around 8 minutes after the liftoff. The rocket’s 418 launch was the third launch of this particular booster. The Falcon 9 rocket successfully deployed the satellites into lower Earth orbit 65 minutes after the liftoff.
These 21 satellites are now part of the world’s largest satellite constellation, Starlink, which had around 7000 active satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) as of December 2024, according to the Starlink launch statistics website.
You can watch the launch video below!
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