SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites from California (video)
SpaceX launched 22 Starlink internet satellites on Tuesday (Jan. 23), after a series of delays.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 7:35 p.m. EST (4:35 p.m. California time; 0035 GMT on Jan. 24).
SpaceX had to stand down from daily attempts since Thursday (Jan. 18) due to poor weather conditions.A launch attempt on Friday ended with only 57 seconds left in the countdown. SpaceX did not provide an explanation for the aborted liftoff.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
As planned, the Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff for a landing on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
This was the 16th launch and landing for this booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Among its previous flights were NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) and 10 other Starlink missions.
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Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Falcon 9's upper stage continued hauling the 22 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, and was set to deploy them there about 63 minutes after liftoff.
Starlink is SpaceX's broadband megaconstellation. It currently consists of more than 5,250 operational spacecraft, but that number is increasing all the time.
