SpaceX has accomplished another successful deployment of its Starlink internet satellites. The event took place at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base, where a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched and released a total of 21 Starlink spacecraft. The liftoff occurred precisely at 2:57 a.m. EDT (0657 GMT) on September 12th.

Following the launch, the Falcon 9’s first stage performed a planned descent back to Earth and successfully landed on SpaceX’s droneship, “Of Course I Still Love You,” in the Pacific Ocean. This precision landing happened around 8.5 minutes after liftoff.

This latest launch marks SpaceX’s 64th mission of 2023, surpassing its previous record of 61 launches in a year. SpaceX has become a leading player in global space missions, with a significant focus on expanding the Starlink megaconstellation.

Currently, there are more than 4,600 operational Starlink satellites in orbit, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. However, SpaceX plans to increase this number substantially, with a long-term goal of reaching up to 42,000 satellites.

Notably, this successful mission also achieved the 11th launch and landing for the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, as stated on SpaceX’s official website.

The Falcon 9’s upper stage is scheduled to deploy the Starlink satellites into their designated orbits approximately 62 minutes after liftoff.