1 of 4 | A timed directexposure records a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it launches 23 Starlink satellites Wednesday on Mission 6-51 from Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo
April 17 (UPI) — SpaceX introduced its Falcon 9 rocket, bring 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit early Wednesday night, under clear, warm skies in Florida.
“Merlin engine ignition and liftoff of Falcon 9!” SpaceX composed in a post on X.
“Five, 4, 3, 2, one, absolutelyno, objective liftoff,” as video of the launch reveals the 230-foot rocket lifting off at 5: 26 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
More than 8 minutes lateron, SpaceX revealed the rocket’s first-stage booster had landed vertically aboard a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
“Nominal orbital insertion and veryfirst phase landing on the Just Read the Instructions droneship validated,” Space X published on X.
The 23 Starlink satellites were released about 65 minutes after liftoff.
“Payload deploy verified, including 23 Starlink s