SpaceX sends 20 Starlink satellites airborne on special day for Falcon 9

SpaceX sent 20 more Starlink satellites into space on Tuesday night on a special day for the Falcon 9 rocket: the 14th anniversary of its first-ever launch. It also launched from the same pad on Tuesday that it did in 2010.

The Falcon 9 rocket with tail number B1067 launched from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:16 p.m. EDT on Tuesday night. It was the 20th time this Falcon 9 first-stage booster was launched.

Other notable missions this Falcon 9 rocket was involved with were two Cargo Dragon resupply missions to the ISS, two Crew Dragon astronaut missions, and 10 Starlink delivery launches, with Tuesday night’s being the 11th.

Watch Falcon 9 launch 20 @Starlink satellites to orbit from pad 40 in Florida https://t.co/fDoqukVO2N

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 5, 2024

Following the deployment of the 20 Starlink satellites, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean just after 10:24 p.m. EDT.

13 of the 20 Starlink satellites had Direct to Cell capabilities. The Starlink satellite internet program has been one of the most groundbreaking technologies in the past few years. Considering it has helped people in rural lands gain internet access, Starlink has been widely important for helping people communicate and stay current.

The Internet service is also being used on things like commercial airliners, cruise ships, and even large cargo ships to help crew members stay in touch with their families.

SpaceX Starlink services to launch on Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER aircraft

However, in order for this to happen, the service needs to be fast and reliable. Elon Musk said on Tuesday that the speed of Starlink’s internet service is starting to become extremely low latency, reaching a “new internal median latency record for 28ms.”

He expects the latency to dip below 20ms in the United States in the near future.

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