A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Nov. 18, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX through X)
SpaceX released 20 more of its Starlink web satellites from California early Monday early morning (Nov. 18).
A Falcon 9 rocket bring 20 Starlink spacecraft, consisting of 13 with direct-to-cell ability, took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:53 a.m. EST (0553 GMT; 9:53 p.m. regional California time on Nov. 17).
The Falcon 9’s very first phase went back to Earth as prepared about 8 minutes after liftoff, landing on the SpaceX droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean.
The very first phase of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a ship at sea soon after introducing 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Nov. 18, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX by means of X)
It was the 20th launch and landing for this specific booster, according to a SpaceX objective description. Thirteen of those flights have actually been Starlink objectives.
The Falcon 9’s upper phase continued carrying the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), releasing them on schedule about 62 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX has actually introduced more than 100 Falcon 9 objectives in 2024, about two-thirds of them dedicated to constructing out the Starlink network.
The megaconstellation presently includes more than 6,600 active spacecraft, according to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, 283 of which are direct-to-cell capable.
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Editor’s note: This story was upgraded at 2:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 18 with news of effective launch, rocket landing and satellite release.
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Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and signed up with the group in 2010. He mostly covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military area, however has actually been understood to meddle the area art beat. His book about the look for alien life, “Out There,” was released on Nov. 13, 2018. Before ending up being a science author, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science composing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To learn what his newest job is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.
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