Watch SpaceX Falcon 9’s amazing liftoff

  • SpaceX pulled off its 94th launch of the year
  • The Falcon was launched in Cape Canaveral, Florida
  • This grows the company’s already huge fleet of Starlink satellites

Published on Dec 19, 2023 at 1:27 PM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves

Last updated on Dec 20, 2023 at 1:54 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Adam Gray

SpaceX just added 23 more satellites to its huge fleet of spacecraft.

The company launched Falcon 9 on 18 December after multiple delays.

So far SpaceX has had an impressive 94 successful launches this year – and the footage of this one is truly spectacular.

Watch the incredible footage of Falcon 9’s liftoff below:

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Elon Musk‘s company was set to launch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on 11 December.

But due to extreme wind, the liftoff was delayed by several days.

The company used its trusty Falcon 9, after unsuccessfully trying out a new spacecraft in November.

23 Starlink spacecraft were loaded onto the Falcon 9 in preparation.

These satellites join the company’s internet mega-constellation, which includes over 5,000 spacecraft.

Starlink has seen huge growth over the last year alone, with 62 out of 94 launches in 2023 being dedicated to adding more of these satellites to the skies.

All went to plan with this launch, with the Falcon 9’s first stage landing back on Earth after 8.5 minutes.

This booster was being used for the third time, the first two being to send astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA.

About an hour after liftoff, the 23 Starlink satellites were deployed from the Falcon 9 into low Earth orbit.

Rather than resting for the holidays, SpaceX plans to launch another 21 satellites on 28 December.

And, while they’re at it, there’s another launch scheduled for the same day.

Falcon Heavy will be leaving from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, too.

The space exploration company has permission to loft 12,000 Starlink craft so far.

And as the company is waiting for approval for another 30,000, there are no signs of slowing down.

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Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.