SpaceX launched two more batches of Starlink satellites on Saturday (Feb. 21), and in the process set a new rocket reuse record.
First up at 4:04 a.m. EST (0904 GMT or 1:04 a.m. PST local time), a Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Twenty-five (25) Starlink satellites (Group 17-25) were lofted part of the way into space by a booster (B1063) making its 31st flight.
Previous Booster 1063 missions
Previous Booster 1067 missions
The California flight included a first stage landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” positioned in the Pacific Ocean. The first stage launched from Florida touched down on “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean.
The 53 new Starlink satellites added to SpaceX’s megaconstellation of more than 9700 active broadband internet relay units. The dual missions marked the 21st and 22nd Falcon 9 launches of the year.
