SpaceX
SpaceX launches Falcon 9 Starlink mission from Florida (March 10, 2024)
Sunday, March 10, 2024, at 7:05 p.m. SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
As forecasted, the weather in Florida was 95% favorable for the mission liftoff and all pre-launch procedures have been conducted without any issues.
The first stage booster previously launched Crew-5, Crew III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, and NG-20. With the new launch, the first stage has now completed five Starlink missions.
After the main engine cutoff, the second stage fired its engine to lead the mission into orbit followed by payload fairing separation at 3:10 minutes of the mission time.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 10, 2024 (Credit: SpaceX)
The fairings in this mission were previously used for the USSF-124 payload about 25 days ago to mark the maximum fairings’ reusability.
Following a few maneuvers and landing burns, the first stage landed on a drone ship using landing legs. After an hour, SpaceX confirmed the satellite’s deployment via social media site X.
Falcon 9 has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship pic.twitter.com/BAulNJ2VGq
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 10, 2024
This new launch supports the expansion of Starlink satellites into Earth’s orbit. There are currently over 5,000 active Starlink satellites and the numbers keep on counting with these continued launches.