On 23 May, SpaceX successfully launched 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, marking the company's second mission of the day. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:36 p.m. EDT, just one minute behind schedule.

"Merlin engine ignition and liftoff of Falcon 9," SpaceX announced in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday night.

In less than 10 minutes, SpaceX confirmed that the Falcon 9's first-stage booster had landed on the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas," stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This successful landing marked the booster’s eighth flight. The booster had previously launched three other Starlink missions, the ESA Euclid mission, the CRS-30 mission, and the Ax-2 and Ax-3 private astronaut missions to the International Space Station.

The Starlink launch followed another significant mission earlier that day, when SpaceX launched a group of U.S. spy satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. The NROL-146 mission, carried out for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, successfully deployed the satellites into orbit.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA - May 23, 2024

On May 23, SpaceX successfully launched 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, marking the company's second mission of the day. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:36 p.m. EDT, just one minute behind schedule.

"Merlin engine ignition and liftoff of Falcon 9," SpaceX announced in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday night.

In less than 10 minutes, SpaceX confirmed that the Falcon 9's first-stage booster had landed on the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas," stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This successful landing marked the booster’s eighth flight. The booster had previously launched three other Starlink missions, the ESA Euclid mission, the CRS-30 mission, and the Ax-2 and Ax-3 private astronaut missions to the International Space Station.

The Starlink launch followed another significant mission earlier that day, when SpaceX launched a group of U.S. spy satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. The NROL-146 mission, carried out for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, successfully deployed the satellites into orbit.