Another milestone in rocket reuse was achieved by SpaceX.

At 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 GMT), a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites took out from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

About 8.5 minutes after launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 returned to Earth and made a vertical touchdown, landing on the SpaceX droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.

A SpaceX mission description states that this was the booster’s ninth launch and landing. More excitingly, the corporation announced via X soon after touchdown that it was the 300th touchdown for a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy first stage overall.

April 23, 2024, a short time after the launch of 23 Starlink satellites from Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is parked on the deck of a droneship at sea. This was the 300th landing of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy first stage overall when the booster touched down. (Image credit: SpaceX)
In December 2015, SpaceX made history by successfully landing an orbiting rocket on Earth with a Falcon 9 first stage at Cape Canaveral. The corporation has made reuse regular; for example, one of its Falcon 9 boosters has been used in 20 launches.

Returning to flight: As scheduled, approximately 65 minutes after liftoff, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 carried the 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO).

SpaceX launched on April 28, 2024, a day set aside for expanding the massive and constantly expanding Starlink megaconstellation. This was the company’s 41st year in business. According to astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, there are currently about 5,800 active Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit.

The Starlink launch turned out to be the first half of a spaceflight doubleheader: yesterday at 6:33 p.m. EDT (2233 GMT), a Rocket Lab Electron vehicle launched two satellites from New Zealand, one of which was a NASA solar-sailing technology demonstrator.