Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched 60 of its own ‘Starlink’ mega-constellation satellites into orbit on the evening of January 6th (at 9.19pm Florida time, 0219 GMT).

The Falcon 9 rocket – which was a 3-times pre-flown version – then totally nailed its mission when it landed after deploying its important cargo onto the landing barge ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ downrange.

This places SpaceX into the record books at a number of levels. SpaceX’s Starlink is now operating the largest fleet of satellites in orbit. The – now routine – textbook landing is yet another record and is the 48th such recovery.

This fourth use of the Falcon 9 booster is another record. This current version of the rocket has been designed to be flown at up to 10 times with minimal refurbishment in-between flights.

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2. Amazon Leo gets approval for 4,504 extra satellites
3. SpaceX gets a portion of India
4. TerreStar wants to build LEO network
5. Musk: “No Starlink phone”
6. Russia accused of eavesdropping on satellites
7. FCC welcomes Musk’s 1m satellite plan
8. Telesat has problems with an LEO
9. Orbital debris a real danger 

Categories: Articles, Satellite