SpaceX launched 23 Starlink satellites for their orbital-based Internet service Thursday morning from Pad SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The successful launch was aboard a Falcon 9 performing its ninth mission.

Liftoff occurred at 12:07 a.m. EST as booster B1077 lifted off flawlessly and headed on southeasterly trajectory targeting a 43º inclination in orbit. The first stage booster its ninth flight and landed on the company’s autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) “Just Read The Instructions.” The flight was the company’s its 280th Falcon 9 launch and its 90th orbital launch in 2023. 

B1077 previously supported the Crew-5 carrying astronauts to the International Space Station, the GPS-IIIA (Global Positioning System) satellite mission, Inmarsat-6 for the London-based global satellite communications operator Inmarsat, CRS-28, the 28th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA, Galaxy 37 for Maxar, and three previous Starlink missions.

After returning to Port Canaveral, B1077 will be inspected, refurbished as necessary and presumably used for future missions.

Author: Charles Boyer

NASA kid from Cocoa Beach, FL, born of Project Apollo parents and family. I’m a writer and photographer sharing the story of spaceflight from the Eastern Range here in Florida.