SpaceX launches its 80th orbital mission of the year

News
By Mike Wall
last updated

Liftoff occurred at 12:05 a.m EST Wednesday (Nov. 8).

SpaceX has had a successful launch yet again.

A Falcon 9 rocket lofted 23 more of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday (Nov. 8) at 12:05 a.m EST (0505 GMT).

Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's first stage approaches a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions after launching 23 Starlink satellites on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's first stage approaches a landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions after launching 23 Starlink satellites on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (Image credit: SpaceX (via X))

It w the 11th launch and landing for this rocket's first stage, according to the mission description.  Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

It was the 11th launch and landing for this rocket's first stage, according to the mission description. 

The 23 Starlink satellites, meanwhile, were scheduled to deploy from the Falcon 9's upper stage into low Earth orbit just under 65 minutes after liftoff.

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Tonight's mission was SpaceX's 80th orbital launch of 2023. The majority of those flights have been devoted to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, which beams internet service down to customers around the world.

There are currently more than 5,000 operational Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.