SpaceX launched two constellations of Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in just over six hours on Friday evening and Saturday morning from California and Florida.
The private space agency launched 26 satellites into low Earth orbit at 5:19 p.m. PT from pad 4E East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It was the rocket's 14th launch, including six previous Starlink missions.
About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the rocket landed on SpaceX's unmanned Of Course I Still Love You spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean.
According to information from Spaceflightnow.com, the launch was delayed three times.
Then at 2:28 a.m., SpaceX launched 28 satellites into low Earth orbit from Pad 40 of the Space Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral. It was the 11th flight for the 229-foot-tall first stage booster, which had previously flown on Crew 8 and six Starlink missions.
About eight minutes after launch, the launch vehicle landed on the unmanned ship, which was located in the Atlantic Ocean.
The mission marked the 40th orbital launch this year from the Space Coast launch site adjacent to Kennedy Space Center, faster than last year, when SpaceX launched 93 times from the facility.
A total of 250 Falcon 9 launches were carried out from pad 40.
There have been a total of 55 Falcon 9 launches from both states this year, according to Space.com.
SpaceX's Starlink network includes more than 7,000 operational satellites, providing high-speed internet access from anywhere in the world except the poles.
SpaceX's next launch is scheduled for 12:24 a.m. Sunday from Kennedy Center's Pad 39A.
Sourse: www.upi.com
