Oct. 26 (UPI) — SpaceX on Saturday successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of 22 Starlink Internet communications satellite from Cape Canaveral in Florida, marking a state record 73rd orbital rocket launch this year.
The Falcon 9 rose from Launch Complex 40 at the Kennedy Space Center as scheduled at 5:47 p.m. EDT.
Less than 10 minutes later, the first-stage booster used in 18 previous launches landed safely aboard SpaceX’s drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.
Countdown and liftoff of Falcon 9 pic.twitter.com/MFsv3J3BSY— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 26, 2024
Saturday’s launch was the 100th Falcon 9 mission for the company so far in this year — 66 of them have been to deploy Starlink satellites into the network’s low-orbit megaconstellation, according to Space.com.
Meanwhile, local officials along Florida’s Space Coast celebrated the 73rd launch of 2024, the most ever in a single calendar year with more than two months remaining.