SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites as Falcon 9 Booster Misses Drone Ship
SpaceX successfully deploys another batch of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit, bringing the total constellation to 300. However, the mission suffers a rare setback when the Falcon 9 first stage booster misses its drone ship landing and splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean.
A Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches 60 additional Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral, bringing the total number of deployed Starlink platforms to 300 since last May. The 229-foot-tall rocket lifts off at 10:05 a.m. EST, powered by nine Merlin 1D engines, and eventually releases its payload of flat-panel signal relay nodes into space after jettisoning its protective payload shroud.
While the second stage carries the satellites into orbit, the first stage booster descends back through the atmosphere and attempts a landing on the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" located nearly 400 miles northeast of the launch site. Unfortunately, the veteran booster, which flies on its fourth mission, misses the target and makes a soft landing in the ocean nearby.
This missed landing marks the first time a Falcon 9 first stage fails to land on a SpaceX drone ship since 2016, meaning the booster is unlikely to fly again after exposure to salt water. Despite this rare landing setback, SpaceX continues to expand its broadband network with another Starlink mission scheduled for early March.