SpaceX recorded another successful mission early Sunday after launching a new batch of Starlink satellites into orbit and landing a rocket at sea.
A Falcon 9, carrying 56 Starlink spacecraft, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida just after 1 a.m. on Sunday.
FILE: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on December 11, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The nearly 330-foot rocket returned to Earth less than nine minutes after launch and landed on the SpaceX drone ship, Just Read the Instructions, in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of Starlink’s 56 satellites into orbit.
Sunday marked the 11th launch and landing for this Falcon 9 first stage booster, SpaceX said. Previously launches included CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, mPower-a, and four Starlink missions.
Starlink Group 5-9 marks the 81st operation Starlink mission, which boosts the total number of Starlink satellites launched to more than 4,400.