SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit

SpaceX on Thursday launched and deployed a new batch of 53 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites lifted off at 2:58 a.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Falcon 9 is a two-stage-to-orbit reusable rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX. The powerful rocket has completed many successful launches and has played a significant role in advancing the commercial space industry.

Thursday's launch was the rocket's 200th successful mission and the fifth launch and landing for the first-stage booster, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1 and now two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Falcon 9 launched its 200th successful mission, and delivered another 53 SpaceX Starlink satellites to orbit this morning pic.twitter.com/HlXSzVRPip

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 2, 2023

For the unversed, Starlink is a constellation made up of thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit. Its aim is to provide low-latency, high-speed internet access to remote and underserved areas, as well as to serve as a backup for areas with unreliable internet access.