Musk's SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 of SpaceX's new Starlink "V2 mini" satellites lifted off yesterday morning from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

About 8 minutes and 26 seconds after launch, the rocket's first stage landed on an autonomous SpaceX droneship in a short fall of gravity near the Atlantic Ocean.

It was the 25th launch of 2023, according to the company's statistics on transmission, along with the eighth launch of this Falcon 9 first-stage booster.

SpaceX said its V2 mini Starlink satellites are designed to allow more broadband capacity than previous generations.

SpaceX already has 4,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, but the company has regulatory approval to launch 12,000 more Starlink craft and is currently seeking approval to add 30,000 more.

While satellites can help deliver broadband internet to remote locations around the world, satellites of that size also come with disadvantages, with astronomers complaining that the Starlink craft interferes with scientific observations.

Wednesday's mission will mark the company's 25th flight so far in 2023. The first stage booster that will fly this mission has previously launched the private Hakuto-R rover into lunar orbit and three Starlink missions, in addition to other payloads.