SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites from California's central coast

It was the 142nd Falcon 9 launch of the year.

If you got a nickel every time SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites, you wouldn't be rich, but you'd have a lot of nickels.

Under such an arrangement, today (Nov. 6) would mark another payday, as SpaceX did, in fact, launch another Starlink mission this afternoon.

Starlink Group 11-14 lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California today at 4:13 p.m. EST (2113 GMT; 1:13 p.m. local California time), carrying 28 satellites to join the company's growing megaconstellation in low Earth orbit (LEO).

It was the eighth flight for the first stage of this Falcon 9 booster, known as 1093, which completed a stage separation and successful deceleration burns, then aced a landing on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean about 8.5 minutes after liftoff.

B1093 will now ride that ship, called "Of Course I Still Love You," back to port for refurbishment and future launches.

While B1093 made its way back to Earth, the Falcon 9's upper stage continued toward LEO, carrying the 28 Starlink satellites to their deployment point, where they are scheduled to be released about an hour into flight.

They'll join more than 8,800 other spacecraft in the Starlink megaconstellation, which provides wireless internet service to customers across the globe.

Quelle: SC