SpaceX Launches 54 Starlink Satellites in Dual Missions

SpaceX successfully launched two batches of Starlink satellites on Tuesday, April 14, deploying a total of 54 broadband internet relays from sites in Florida and California within a 20-hour span to bolster its growing low-Earth orbit constellation.

The first mission lifted off at 5:23 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket carried 29 satellites from Starlink group 1024 into orbit on a northeasterly trajectory. About an hour later, the upper stage deployed the payloads, placing them on course to join the network. The first-stage booster, designated B1080, marked its 26th flight by landing on the droneship "Just Read the Instructions" in the Atlantic Ocean.

Nearly 19 hours later, at 9:29 p.m. PDT, a second Falcon 9 rocketed skyward from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in southern California. This mission delivered 25 satellites from group 1727. The upper stage released the cargo roughly an hour after liftoff, and the first-stage booster, B1082, completed its 21st flight with a touchdown on the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX confirmed both launches as...