Elon Musk’s SpaceX aced two launches of Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit within six hours on Monday. Both launches employed reusable Falcon 9 rockets from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The first launch of 23 satellites occurred at 4:55 am (Nepal time). The Falcon 9’s first stage, on its 11th flight, successfully landed on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The second launch, also carrying 23 Starlink satellites, lifted off at 9:59 am (Nepal time). Its first-stage booster, on its 17th flight, landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
These launches follow another Starlink mission last week. SpaceX currently operates over 5,000 Starlink satellites and has regulatory approval to deploy up to 12,000. The company has conducted 22 launches in 2024 and aims for a record-breaking 144 launches throughout the year.
