The company launched its 60th mission of the year on Wednesday.
The California-based commercial spaceflight company launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 54 Starlink internet satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. On December 28th.
The early stages of the mission were streamed by the company. The Falcon 9 rocket illuminates Florida's night sky as it leaves the launch pad.
The first stage of the rocket made it back to Earth.
The first stage of the rocket made a perfect landing on the ocean. The booster is going to be refurbished and sent on a new mission.
The 11th launch and landing for this particular Falcon 9 first-stage booster was the sixth Starlink mission.
Wednesday's launch was the first under a new license that will allow the company to add more capacity to the network. It will be easier for the company to add more Starlink customers and offer faster broadband in places that are currently over-subscribed.
The total number of missions for the year will be a record 61, almost doubling what it achieved in the previous year.
The mission that deployed two classified satellites for the U.S. Space Force in November was the only one in which the workhorse Falcon 9 rocket was used.
There will be a lot of launches next year, as well as the first test of the next- generation Super Heavy rocket and Starship spaceship.
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