SpaceX launched another batch of its broadband satellites from Florida early Sunday morning (Dec. 8).
A Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities, from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday at 12:12 a.m. EST (0512 GMT).
The rocket’s first stage came down for a landing on the SpaceX droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after launch as planned.
It was the second liftoff and touchdown for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, successfully deployed the 23 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) as planned.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
Sunday morning’s launch was the 123rd Falcon 9 liftoff of the year. Nearly 70% of these missions have been devoted to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, the largest network of satellites ever assembled.
LEO currently houses more than 6,800 operational Starlink spacecraft, about 350 of which are capable of beaming service directly to cellphones.
