SpaceX's Workhorse Falcon 9 Reaches Milestone in Starlink Launch

On Sunday, SpaceX deployed 60 additional Starlink satellites in orbit aboard a Falcon 9 Orbit Class Rocket. The rocket serving the missions has now made 10 trips to the space and back, a record for its class.

A Starlink Launch of Firsts

The rocket lifted off before dawn from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:42 AM EDT (06.42 GMT), marking the company's 14th launch of the year.

The rocket serving the Starlink missions completed its 10th launch, a record for a Falcon 9 rocket. Notably, the rocket also looked very used. The once-shiny exterior was almost charred black by its many trips to the space and back.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1391282789635411970

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter before the launch, in the afternoon.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1390955387654914052

Clear skies above Florida's coast made for great viewing conditions. The rocket lifted off, lighting up the pre-dawn sky, treating the onlookers to quite a spectacle.

This is the second time SpaceX launched Falcon 9 rockets within the same week. Incidentally, both the launches carried a stack of 60 Starlink satellites. 9 minutes after liftoff, the rocket's first stage returned to the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" for a record 10th successful landing.