Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA - May 31

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In another impressive display of technological prowess, SpaceX soared into action late Friday, May 31, launching yet another fleet of Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The liftoff, which occurred at 10:37 p.m. EDT (0237 GMT on June 1), marked the 40th Starlink-centric mission of the year for the aerospace giant.

Despite a slight 26-minute delay due to weather concerns, a Falcon 9 rocket successfully carried 23 of the broadband craft into space. The rocket's first stage, a veteran with 14 launches and landings under its belt, returned to Earth as planned, touching down on the droneship named "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean.

As the upper stage continued its journey, the 23 Starlink satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit approximately 65 minutes after liftoff, further expanding SpaceX's ever-growing constellation of internet-beaming satellites.

This launch marked SpaceX's 57th orbital mission of the year, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the historic Demo-2 test flight that transported NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station on May 31, 2020.

With over 6,500 Starlink satellites launched to date, SpaceX continues to revolutionize global connectivity, with approximately 6,000 of them currently operational in low Earth orbit.