A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (SpaceX/TNS)
SpaceX got back to a quick pace between launches with another Starlink mission from the Space Coast on Thursday using its fleet-leading booster for a record flight.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of its Starlink satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:14 a.m.
The first-stage booster for the flight made its record-breaking 22nd trip off the pad having previously flown crewed missions Inspiration4 and Axiom Space’s Ax-1 as well as 19 other missions.
It made another landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship Just Read the Instructions.
That marks 325 booster recoveries for the company and 294 reflights. SpaceX has three other boosters with 20 or more flights under their belt.
The launch comes just two days since the first Falcon Heavy launch of the year at nearby Kennedy Space Center and four days since the last launch at Canaveral’s SLC-40.
This was the 48th launch from all Space Coast launch pads for the year, with all but three coming from SpaceX.
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