A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 new SpaceX Starlink “V2 mini” satellites arrives at 10:31 ET (14:31 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, after two minor delays earlier in the day. got up. due to non-disclosure. reasons

About 8 minutes and 26 seconds after launch, the rocket’s first stage landed on SpaceX’s A Shortfall of Gravitas autonomous unmanned spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean as part of SpaceX’s live broadcast. It was the space company’s 25th launch in 2023 and the eighth launch of the Falcon 9 first-stage launch vehicle, according to the statistics in the publication.

According to the company, SpaceX V2 mini Starlink satellites are designed to be more powerful than previous iterations, providing more bandwidth than previous generations.(opens in a new tab). According to SpaceX, they are also equipped with Hall thrusters, electric propulsion units that deliver more than double those found on first-generation Starlink satellites.(opens in a new tab).

SpaceX already has more than 4,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, but plans to increase that number significantly. The company has received regulatory approval to launch up to 12,000 more Starlinks and is seeking approval to add 30,000 more.

While satellites help provide broadband Internet access to remote or underserved locations around the world, many satellites also have disadvantages: astronomers complain that the Starlink spacecraft interferes with scientific observations.

Wednesday’s mission will be the company’s 25th flight in 2023. The first stage of the launch vehicle carrying this mission launched the previously dedicated Hakuto-R rover into lunar orbit and three Starlink missions in addition to other payloads.

However, when it comes to upcoming SpaceX launches, all eyes are now on the first space launch of the company’s massive Starship rocket, scheduled for Thursday, April 20. When Starship launches its landmark test flight, it will become the world’s most powerful rocket, paving the way for a new era in manned spaceflight.