SpaceX sends 23 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida

SpaceX has added 23 more satellites to the Starlink constellation in the low-Earth Orbit. On Thursday, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the new batch of internet satellites lifted off at 10:30 a.m. ET, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This launch marked the 11th flight for the first stage booster, which previously supported CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat IS-40e, O3b mPOWER, Ovzon 3, and five Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage made a precise landing on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

After a quick leap, Falcon 9’s first stage has completed its 11th mission, landing on the Just Read The Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean pic.twitter.com/OFrx4S2zbj

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 29, 2024

In a parallel development, SpaceX is gearing up for the Falcon 9 launch of the Dragon spacecraft's eighth operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-8) to the International Space Station. The mission is slated to launch on March 2 from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX's Dragon previously flew the Demo-2, Crew-2, Ax-1, and Crew-6 missions to and from the space station. Following stage separation, the rocket's first stage will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Teams with @NASA and @SpaceX now are targeting 11:16pm ET on March 2 for the launch of the agency’s #Crew8 mission to @Space_Station due to unfavorable weather conditions in offshore areas along the flight track of the Dragon spacecraft, which is expected to continue through the… pic.twitter.com/PehHkjtPHd

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) February 29, 2024