Wednesday 18 May 2022 01:28 PM Elon Musk's SpaceX launches 53 more Starlink satellites into orbit trends now
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Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully launched its latest fleet of more than 50 Starlink internet satellites into orbit.
A used two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carried the payload into space before landing at sea earlier today (Wednesday).
It was launched from NASA's Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 06:59 ET (11:59 BST), about 39 minutes later than SpaceX initially planned.
'Falcon 9 has successfully lifted off carrying our 53 Starlink satellites into space,' SpaceX production manager Jessie Anderson said during a live webcast.
Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully launched its latest fleet of more than 50 Starlink internet satellites into orbit
A used two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carried the payload into space before landing at sea earlier today (Wednesday)
The Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth nine minutes after lift-off, landing on SpaceX's droneship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas' in the Atlantic Ocean.
The recovery vessel catches falling boosters and returns them to port to save on costs.
It was the company's third Starlink mission in a week and the 121st successful landing for a SpaceX booster.
The ability to re-use the first-stage of its rockets helps SpaceX keep the cost per launch down, and makes them competitive against the older launch companies.
Today's mission marked the fifth for this particular Falcon 9 first stage.
Musk has previously said all re-usable components of the Falcon 9 should be able to be used at least 100 times.
The rocket was launched from NASA's Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 06:59 ET (11:59 BST), about 39 minutes later than SpaceX initially planned
