SpaceX launches new Starlink constellation into orbit

On Sunday, SpaceX launched 46 satellites and brought back the returning rocket to a ship at sea. A two-stage Falcon 9 spacecraft topped with 46 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites blasted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday at 9:39 p.m. EDT (6:39 p.m. local California time; 0139 GMT on July 11). The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth 8.5 minutes after liftoff and came down on the Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean, as planned.

It was the sixth time a Falcon 9 first stage had successfully landed. The booster also assisted with the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, and three Starlink batches, according to SpaceX's mission description (opens in new tab). Meanwhile, the Falcon 9's upper stage deployed the 46 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit 63 minutes after liftoff as planned through Twitter, according to SpaceX.

The 29th orbital mission of the year and the 17th dedicated to Starlink, the company's enormous internet-satellite constellation, was carried out by SpaceX on Sunday evening. SpaceX has launched more than 2,750 Starlink spacecraft (opens in new tab) to date, with the number set to rise for years to come. The firm already has permission to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites and has applied for permission to lift up to 30,000 more on top of that.