SpaceX launches more internet-beaming Starlink satellites from Florida
Falcon 9 sends 47 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX launched another batch of internet-beaming Starlink satellites from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Thursday morning as the company continues to expand its global internet service to new countries, most recently Ukraine.
It's been a busy launch week on Florida's Space Coast after NOAA's new weather satellite GOES-T blasted off on Tuesday, and two days later SpaceX sent up another round of Starlink satellites.
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Launchpad 39A at 9:25 a.m. Re-watch the launch at the top of this story.
It was a pleasant day for a launch on Florida's east coast. Launch officers with the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron gave a 90% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff.
According to SpaceX, there were 47 Starlink satellites inside the rocket nose cone bound for low-Earth orbit. The rocket booster has previously launched seven other dedicated Starlink missions and three other missions for SpaceX customers.
About 8 minutes after launch, the booster once again returned to Earth, landing for the 11th time on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX also plans to collect the rocket fairing halves that make up the nose cone using its recovery ship called "Bob."
This launch marks the second Starlink launch in under a week. SpaceX launched 50 internet satellites from California on Friday.
SpaceX has been busy in the first three months of the year. Thursday's launch is the ninth Falcon 9 mission this year.
Elon Musk's company will continue launching Starlink satellites at a rapid cadence as it builds the constellation of spacecraft to beam internet to anywhere in the world, even remote communities. Musk recently said that more than 250,000 Starlink user terminal orders had been fulfilled.
Earlier this week, Musk sent a shipment of Starlink user terminals to Ukraine to help with communication issues after Russia invaded.
SpaceX engineer Siva Bharadvaj said during the launch live stream that Starlink has been activated in Ukraine and government officials confirmed the kits are already in use.
"Thank you, and we hope it helps," Bharadvaj said.