CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE — Coming off the heels of the Crew-8 launch, SpaceX had another successful liftoff on Monday, this time sending more Starlink satellites headed to orbit.
What You Need To Know
- Nearly two dozen Starlink satellites were sent to orbit Monday
- The rocket will leave Space Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Get more space coverage here ▶
The California-based company sent up its Falcon 9 rocket from Space Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the Starlink 6-41 mission, it confirmed.
The 45th Weather Squadron gave an 80% chance of good liftoff conditions, with the only worries being the cumulus cloud and anvil cloud rules.
Taking off from the launch pad
This will be the 13th launch for SpaceX’s first-stage booster B1073. The 12 missions it has successfully launched before this one are:
- ispace's HAKUTO-R and NASA's Lunar Flashlight
- SES-22 telecommunications satellite
- Amazonas Nexus
- CRS-27
- 8 Starlink satellite missions
After the stage separation, the rocket’s first-stage booster landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas that was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, completing this booster's thirteenth mission pic.twitter.com/0NDMsHm0Ba
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 5, 2024
About the mission
SpaceX sent up 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.
The satellites provide broadband internet to many parts of the world, stated the SpaceX-owned company Starlink.
Dr. Jonathan McDowell of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics recorded the following Starlink satellites before the Starlink 6-41 mission.
- 5,526 are in orbit
- 5,465 in working order
- 4,794 are in operational orbit
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