SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from Florida, lands booster for 15th time (video) – Space.com
Liftoff took place at 11:47 a.m. ET today (Jan. 13).
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SpaceX launched another set of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida’s Space Coast this morning (Jan. 13).A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink craft, including 13 with direct to cell capabilities, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 11:47 a.m. EST (1647 GMT).The first stage booster returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff, touching down in the Atlantic Ocean on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas.”It was the 15th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Eight of its 14 flights to date have been Starlink missions, while two of them were crewed astronauts missions to the ISS on behalf of Houston-based Axiom Space.The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued carrying the Starlink spacecraft to low Earth orbit, deploying them about 65 minutes after liftoff.Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky— SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk’s private spaceflight company— Starlink satellites: Facts, tracking and impact on astronomy— SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches on record-breaking 24th flight (video)This morning’s launch was the sixth of 2025 for SpaceX. Last year, the company launched more than 130 Falcon 9 missions, about two-thirds of them Starlink liftoffs.Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!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.Little house on the (moon) prairie: Artist’s ‘Moonhouse’ set to lift off on lunar landerSpaceX launches 131 satellites on Transporter 12 rideshare mission (video)James Webb Space Telescope sees little red dots feeding black holes: ‘This is how you solve a universe-breaking problem’Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.©
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