The Falcon 9 launch vehicle put 21 mini-satellites of the Starlink system into orbit

A Falcon 9 rocket owned by billionaire Ilon Musk's company SpaceX put 21 satellites into orbit on Saturday, February 8, for the Starlink Internet coverage network.

"A Falcon 9 rocket with 21 Starlink spacecraft on board, 13 of which have direct cellular connectivity, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base," SpaceX said in a statement on its official website.

The Falcon 9 first stage returned about eight minutes later and landed successfully, the company added.

Earlier, on January 11, SpaceX launched the past group of Starlink mini-satellites into orbit. Among the satellites sent into orbit, 13 are with direct cellular communication capability.

December 4, 2024, the company SpaceX reported that the Falcon 9 launch vehicle put into orbit 24 mini-satellites for the network of Internet coverage of the system Starlink.

Before that, on October 27, the press service of the company reported that the new satellites were successfully put into orbit for the global orbital Internet network Starlink. In total, 22 objects managed to put into orbit.

In July, SpaceX was unable to put into orbit satellites Starlink because of the failure of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. During the launch, one of the engines of the spacecraft failed, resulting in the satellites were deployed at a lower orbital altitude than originally planned.