SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on record 32nd flight of Falcon 9 rocket (video)

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just set a new record for a “flight-proven” booster, landing for the 32nd time after helping loft Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

The company’s Booster 1067 lifted off on Monday (Dec. 8), accelerating an upper stage and 29 broadband internet satellites skyward. The 5:26 p.m. EST (2226 GMT Dec. 8) launch from Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida proceeded as planned after a one-day stand down due to poor weather conditions.

The first stage climbed towards space for about two and a half minutes before separating from the upper stage and then making a propulsive return to Earth. It landed on the autonomous droneship “Just Read the Instructions,” which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 32nd use is another step toward SpaceX‘s goal of flying its Falcon 9 first stages 40 times.

The Falcon 9 upper stage, meanwhile continued on its climb and, after a coast and a second firing of its Merlin engine, was expected to deploy the Starlink satellites (Group 6-92) about an hour after leaving the ground.

There are now more than 9,100 operational relay units in the Starlink network, which provide access to broadband internet to regions around the world that do not have other means of connecting. The service also supports WiFi connectively on commercial airliners and cell-to-satellite service on select carriers.

Monday’s launch from Florida was SpaceX’s 158th Falcon 9 launch of the year and 510th reflight of a first stage since 2017. The company launched another set of 29 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday (Dec. 7).