The SpaceX Starlink smallsat family constellation progression continues unabated, with the firm’s latest launch occurring on Sunday, May 9, 2021, when, at 2:42 a.m. EDT, the firm’s Falcon 9 launched 60 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
After stage separation, the Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth and landed on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship.
This was the first Falcon 9 first stage booster to complete a tenth launch and landing. The first stage booster previously supported Crew Dragon’s first demonstration mission to the International Space Station, the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, SXM-7, and now seven Starlink missions.