SpaceX sent another batch of its Starlink internet satellites skyward today (April 23).
A Falcon 9 rocket topped by 23 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida today at 6:17 p.m. EDT (22:17 GMT).
The Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth for a vertical landing approximately 8.5 minutes after launch, as planned. It landed on the SpaceX drone Just Read the Instructions, parked in the Atlantic Ocean.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
This was the ninth launch and landing of this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Five of its previous eight takeoffs were Starlink missions.
The Falcon 9 upper stage will continue to carry the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) today, deploying them approximately 65 minutes after liftoff.
Tonight’s launch was the 41st of the year for SpaceX and the 28th of 2024 dedicated to building the massive and ever-growing Starlink megaconstellation. There are currently nearly 5,800 operational Starlink satellites in LEO, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
The Starlink launch ended up being the first half of a double spaceflight: A Rocket Lab Electron vehicle launched two satellites, including a NASA solar navigation technology demonstrator, from New Zealand today at 6:33 p.m. EDT (22:33 GMT).
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 6:30 p.m. ET on April 23 with news of the successful launch and landing of the first stage.