SpaceX launched 20 more Starlink satellites tonight (July 11), including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California tonight at 10:35 p.m. EDT (7:35 p.m. local California time; 02:35 GMT on July 12), a day later than originally planned; SpaceX did not provide a reason for the misstep.
The Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth as planned, landing on the SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean, about eight minutes after launch.
It was the 19th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. The record for a Falcon 9 first stage is 22 flights, which SpaceX set late last month.
The Falcon 9 upper stage continued to deliver the 20 satellites into low-Earth orbit tonight, where they will be launched approximately 59 minutes after launch.
SpaceX has now completed 69 Falcon 9 launches in 2024. Forty-nine of those missions have been dedicated to building out the Starlink mega-constellation, which currently consists of more than 6,150 operational satellites.
More than 100 of these spacecraft have the ability to communicate directly with the cell, but that number will continue to rise in the near future, as will the total number of Starlink craft.
Publisher’s Note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. ET on July 10 with a target launch date of July 11. It was updated again at 10:50 p.m. ET on July 11 with news of the launch and successful rocket landing.