SpaceX launched 23 Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Saturday (Nov. 18), the first of two Starlink missions scheduled for this weekend.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:05 a.m. ET (5 p.m. Japan time).
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth for a vertical landing about eight and a half minutes after liftoff aboard the Just Read the Instructions drone ship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX said this was the 11th launch and landing of the rocket’s first stage. Mission description.
Meanwhile, the 23 Starlink satellites will deploy from the Falcon 9 upper stage into low Earth orbit approximately 65.5 minutes after liftoff.
The launch was the first of two Starlink missions scheduled for this weekend. SpaceX also launched a broadband service from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1:55 a.m. ET on Sunday (November 19). The aim is to launch 22 satellites.
And other SpaceX activities are planned for this weekend. The company plans to launch a second test flight of its giant Starship rocket from its base in south Texas on Saturday, during a 20-minute window starting at 8 a.m. ET (1:00 a.m.). GMT). When the time is right, you can watch the highly anticipated flight live on Space.com.