As has almost become the norm, SpaceX launched two more batches of Starlink satellites over the course of two days from dual coasts.<\/p>\n
First up on Thursday (Jan. 29), a Falcon 9<\/a> rocket lifted from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base<\/a> in southern California. The 12:53 p.m. EDT (1753 GMT or 9:53 a.m. PDT local time) launch successfully deployed 25 satellites (Group 17-19<\/a>) into low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then today (Jan. 30), another Falcon 9 flew from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station<\/a> in Florida. Taking flight at 2:22 a.m. EDT (0722 GMT), the rocket carried 29 more units (Group 6-101<\/a>) for the Starlink network.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Thursday’s booster (B1082) completed its 19th flight by touching down on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You<\/a>” in he Pacific Ocean. It was then the fifth flight for Booster 1095, which similarly landed in the Atlantic Ocean on “Just Read the Instructions.”<\/p>\n The Starlink<\/a> network provides broadband internet service to areas around the globe where others means of service is absent or spotty. The service also supports in-flight wifi on certain airlines and direct cell-to-satellite calls and texting on select carriers.<\/p>\n Thursday and Friday’s launches raised the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit over the 9,600 mark, according to tracker Jonathan McDowell<\/a>. Friday’s launch was SpaceX<\/a>‘s 13th mission of the year and 596th Falcon 9 flight since 2010.<\/p>\n