Update: SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of 29 Starlink satellites on March 19, 11:30 a.m. EDT (1530 UTC).
SpaceX successfully executed its 29th Starlink mission of the year, launching a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Thursday morning.
The mission, designated Starlink 10-33, delivered an additional 29 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. This latest addition expands the Starlink megaconstellation to an impressive total of more than 10,000 spacecraft.
Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 10:20 a.m. EDT (1420 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket followed a north-easterly trajectory immediately after leaving the launch pad.
The 45th Weather Squadron had provided a mixed forecast for the launch window on Thursday morning. Meteorologists predicted a 75 percent chance of favorable weather conditions at the start of the window, which was expected to decrease to 60 percent by its conclusion.
Forecasters noted that while dry conditions were anticipated to persist, there was a possibility of coastal showers developing on Thursday, some of which could approach the launch pad during the primary launch window. Additionally, mid-level clouds might have moved into the region early Thursday, potentially overlapping with the launch window. This presented a low risk of violating the Cumulus Cloud Rule and Thick Cloud Layers Rule.
For this mission, SpaceX utilized the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number 1077. This marked the 27th flight for this particular booster, which has a distinguished record of supporting significant missions such as NASA’s Crew-5, CRS-28, and NG-20.
Approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, booster B1077 successfully performed a controlled landing on the drone ship ‘Just Read the Instructions’, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This achievement marked the 154th successful landing on this vessel and SpaceX’s 588th booster landing to date.
The 29 Starlink satellites were deployed from the rocket’s upper stage just over an hour after the initial launch event.
