The Falcon 9 rocket, powered by a first-stage booster, took off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9:44 AM EST. It then climbed to the southeast towards an orbit that is tilted 53 degrees to its equator.
The vehicle was lifted out of the lower atmosphere and the first stage flew back to the SpaceX droneship. While the upper stage continued towards space, it fell apart. Within an hour of launch, the Starlinks were released one at a time.
Monday’s launch was SpaceX’s 141st Falcon 9 flight and the seventh this year. This brings the total number launched Starlinks to 2,137. Jonathan McDowell, a veteran space analyst, said that 1,542 Starlinks were believed to be operational at the time of the latest flight. This was the company’s 81st successful landing at sea, and its 107th overall.