SpaceX rocket launches 53 Starlink satellites into orbit and aces landing at sea

A used SpaceX rocket launched a new fleet of Starlink internet satellites into orbit and returned to Earth for a stunning landing at sea early Wednesday on May 18, Report infirms citing Reuters.

The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with 53 Starlink spacecraft soared into the Florida morning sky from NASA's Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 6:59 a.m. EDT (1059 GMT), about 39 minutes later than SpaceX initially planned.

"Falcon 9 has successfully lifted off carrying our 53 Starlink satellites into space," SpaceX production manager Jessie Anderson said during a live webcast. The launch marked SpaceX's third Starlink mission in five days following missions on May 13 and May 14.

About nine minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth with a smooth landing on SpaceX's droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, with onboard cameras capturing stunning video of the entire descent. It was landing number 121 for a SpaceX booster, Anderson said.

Starlink is SpaceX's broadband constellation, which currently consists of more than 2,300 satellites, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell. That number has been growing rapidly lately; SpaceX has launched 21 missions already in 2022, and 14 of them have been dedicated Starlink flights as of Wednesday's launch.