SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites from Florida (video)

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By Mike Wall
last updated

Liftoff occurred at 6:08 p.m. ET on Sunday (April 28).

SpaceX launched 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Sunday evening (April 28).

The Starlink spacecraft lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:08 p.m. EDT (2208 GMT). 

Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)

To plan, the Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth for a vertical landing about 8.5 minutes after launch. It touched down on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

It was the 13th launch and landing for the booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Half of the rocket's previous 12 flights were Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, is set to deploy the 23 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) about 65 minutes after liftoff.

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen after landing on the droneship "Just Read the Instructions" in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen after landing on the droneship "Just Read the Instructions" in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)
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Sunday's launch was part of a busy weekend for SpaceX. The company launched two of Europe's Galileo navigation satellites on Saturday (April 27). The liftoff was the 20th for that Falcon 9's first stage, tying a SpaceX reuse record.

SpaceX's 30th robotic Dragon cargo mission to the International Space Station for NASA was wrapping up on Sunday as well. The company's Dragon capsule departed the orbiting lab at around 1:10 p.m. EDT (1710 GMT), bringing scientific samples and experiments down to Earth. 

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.