SpaceX’s 70th flight of the year saw the launch of 22 Starlink satellites

SpaceX marked its 70th orbital mission of the year by successfully deploying 22 additional Starlink internet satellites into orbit. The launch took place early this morning, October 5th, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the launch was delayed due to adverse weather conditions.

The mission saw the Starlink spacecraft taking off atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 1:36 a.m. EDT (0536 GMT). Impressively, the Falcon 9’s first stage executed a precise vertical landing at sea on SpaceX’s drone ship, Just Read the Instructions, approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff. Notably, this marked the eighth successful liftoff and landing for this particular Falcon 9 first stage, with four of its previous missions involving launching Starlink batches.

Approximately 65 minutes after liftoff, the 22 Starlink satellites are scheduled to be deployed from the Falcon 9’s upper stage into low Earth orbit (LEO).

This successful mission represents SpaceX’s 70th orbital launch of 2023. The majority of these launches have been dedicated to expanding the Starlink megaconstellation, which currently comprises over 4,800 operational satellites.

Out of the 70 orbital missions, 66 were handled by the Falcon 9 rocket, with the remaining three managed by the powerful Falcon Heavy. Notably, a Falcon Heavy is set to launch NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission on October 12th.

In addition to its satellite endeavors, SpaceX also conducted a test flight of its innovative Starship deep-space transportation system earlier this year. This mission, while not intended to reach orbit, faced challenges and ended prematurely just four minutes after liftoff.