SpaceX to launch more Starlink satellites from Florida today. Watch live! – Space.com
Launch occurred at 10:27 a.m. ET on Wednesday (Jan. 8).
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SpaceX launched more of its internet satellites from Florida’s Space Coast today (Jan. 8).A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 10:27 a.m. EST (1527 GMT) on Wednesday.To plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff. It touched down on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.It was the third launch and landing for this particular booster, which had flown one previous Starlink mission, according to a SpaceX mission description.The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued to haul the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), where they were set to be deployed about 65 minutes after liftoff.Starlink is the largest satellite constellation ever deployed — and it’s continuously growing, as today’s launch demonstrated. There are currently more than 6,850 active Starlink spacecraft in LEO, according to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.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.Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, a daily news publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of “Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018.In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History. In 2023, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognized Pearlman with the Kolcum News and Communications Award for excellence in telling the space story along the Space Coast and throughout the world. NASA won’t decide on Mars Sample Return plan until mid-2026The ‘original’ John Glenn gave his ‘go’ for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocketSpace Force’s secretive X-37B space plane soars past 1 year in orbitSpace is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.©
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Source: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-group-12-11
