SpaceX Launches 23 Starlink Internet Satellites Onboard Falcon 9 Rocket

SpaceX added more Starlink satellites to space over the weekend. The launch was a success, and more flights were expected to come.

SpaceX Launches More Starlink Satellites

On Sunday (Jan. 7), SpaceX launched 23 additional Starlink internet satellites into orbit. At 5:35 p.m. EST (2235 GMT), the Starlink spacecraft was launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.

About 8.5 minutes after takeoff, the Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth as scheduled, landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was positioned in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

As to the SpaceX mission description, this was the booster's 16th launch and landing. The Falcon 9's upper stage transported the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, where they were scheduled to be deployed approximately 65.5 minutes following liftoff.

For SpaceX, this was the third orbital launch of 2024. And there will be a lot more to come; according to SpaceX officials, the company wants to launch 144 missions this year, breaking its previous record of 98, established in 2023.

There will be more spaceflight activity later tonight or early on Monday morning (Jan. 8). On Monday at 2:18 a.m. EST (0718 GMT), United Launch Alliance plans to launch its Vulcan Centaur rocket for the first time, launching the personal Peregrine lunar lander.

In November, Starlink also launched 23 Starlink satellites aboard the Falcon 9 rocket. Elon Musk's company intends to make more space flights and surpass its previous records.

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What Did Elon Musk Say About Starlink and Starshield?

In September, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk spoke about the future of Starlink and Starshield. The tech billionaire said Starlink "needs to be a civilian network," and it won't participate in hostilities. In the interim, the Department of Defense Space Force will be in charge of and possess Starshield on behalf of the United States government.

"This is the right order of things," he added.

In response to Musk's revelation, many internet users agreed that political journalist and AI and technology expert Brian Krassentein said the choice was reasonable. He concluded that the technology should not be turned over to a private corporation but sold to the Pentagon for their decision-making. He continued by saying it is foolish to think differently.

Space trash has already become a growing concern. NASA and TransAstra are working together to clean up space trash. A space logistics business called TransAstra recently won a $850,000 NASA early-stage contract for a bag that could expand while in orbit.

The deal marked TransAstra's second inflatable catch bag contract in the previous several years. They also received an early-stage contract from NASA for 2021, initially focusing on asteroid or space rock capture.