SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink Internet satellites from Florida’s Space Coast on Saturday night, October 26. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from the Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral at 5:47 PM ET (21:47 GMT).
As planned, the Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth approximately eight minutes after liftoff. It touched down on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship sitting in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to SpaceX’s mission statement, this was the 19th launch and landing of this particular launch vehicle and the 15th Starlink mission overall. Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 upper stage continued to launch Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO), where they are scheduled to be deployed approximately 64 minutes after liftoff.