SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 22 Starlink internet satellites to orbit

SpaceX on Friday, August 11, launched a new batch of Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 launch vehicle carrying 22 Starlink internet satellites lifted off at 1:17 a.m. ET (5:17 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the ninth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and four Starlink missions. 

Falcon 9 launches 22 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida pic.twitter.com/m8Y4p3VSoQ

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 11, 2023

Fairings deployed. Today's mission marks our first 11th flight of a fairing half pic.twitter.com/B0fV4oik6M

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 11, 2023

Today's launch represented the second Starlink mission conducted by SpaceX within the same week, showcasing the company's rapid launch cadence and ongoing efforts to expand its satellite broadband constellation aimed at providing global, high-speed, low-latency internet coverage where traditional broadband services are limited or unavailable.