SpaceX has successfully launched 23 Starlink satellites onboard a Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 first stage booster, making its 18th flight, successfully landed on SpaceX’s drone ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ about eight and a half minutes into the flight.
**Starlink 6-46 Mission**
The mission, designated Starlink 6-46, was launched at 9:30 p.m. EDT (0130 UTC) on Saturday, March 30, and marked the 29th Falcon 9 launch of the year. The Falcon 9’s upper stage deployed the 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) about 65 minutes after liftoff, if all went according to plan.
**Starlink Satellite Deployment**
Before this liftoff, SpaceX had launched 6,054 Starlink satellites, 5,587 of which are currently operational in low Earth orbit (LEO). SpaceX has been launching Starlink satellites since 2019, and the company plans to eventually launch tens of thousands of the satellites to provide global internet coverage.