SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites on 3rd leg of spaceflight tripleheader
Baku, February 16, AZERTAC
SpaceX launched 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites on Thursday (Feb. 15), the third mission in less than 24 hours for the company, according to Space.com.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday at 4:34 p.m. EST (1:34 p.m. local California time, or 2134 GMT).
The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned. It made a vertical landing on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
It was the second launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Its previous flight was also a Starlink mission.
The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, continued powering its way skyward, eventually deploying the satellites into low Earth orbit.
The Starlink launch was the final leg of a spaceflight tripleheader for SpaceX. On Wednesday evening (Feb. 14), the company launched the classified USSF-124 mission for the U.S. Space Force.
Then, at 1:05 a.m. EST (0605 GMT) on Thursday, SpaceX launched the private IM-1 moon-landing mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Other news in this section
