A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 23 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Florida tonight (Oct. 21) in the company’s second mission of the day.
The Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday at 10:17 p.m. EDT (0217 GMT on Oct. 22).
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
The Falcon 9’s first stage made a successful vertical landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 8.5 minutes after launch.
This particular Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage has completed its fourth flight, according to the mission description.
The 23 Starlink satellites are scheduled to deploy from the Falcon 9’s upper stage approximately 65.5 minutes after launch.
Tonight’s launch marks SpaceX’s second of the day. The company previously launched 21 Starlink satellites from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base earlier in the day.
Starlink is SpaceX’s extensive network of satellites in low Earth orbit, providing internet service to customers worldwide. Currently, there are nearly 4,900 operational Starlink satellites, and this number continues to grow.
