Oct. 19 (UPI) — SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of 20 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:31 p.m. EDT Friday.
The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff and landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean following its stage separation.
The flight is the 17th for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster that supports the Starlink mission.
The booster previously launched eight other Starlink deployment missions and the mPOWER-C, OneWeb 2, Intelsat 40e, Digital Globe 2,Turksat-6A, Eutelsat 36X, Ovzon-3, and CRS-26 deployment missions.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued delivering the Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit and deployed them at 8:35 p.m.
Thirteen of the satellites sent into space will support the Starlink system’s direct-to-cell capabilities that currently support texting and in 2025 are scheduled to begin supporting voice and data communications and the internet of things.
The Starlink satellites will join what SpaceX calls a Starlink “megaconstellation” comprised of more than 6,400 active satellites, including 230 that support the direct-to-cell system.
The direct-to-cell system is intended to work anywhere in the world while using the Starlink ground network through partner operators and unmodified cell phones.
SpaceX has another Falcon 9 launch scheduled Saturday to deploy the EutelsatGroup OneWeb.
The launch is to take place at Space Launch Complex 4Ein California.