SpaceX Launches Over 11,000 Starlink Satellites Into Orbit

Another important step has been taken in space exploration and the expansion of the global internet network. Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has successfully launched another 24 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. As a result, the total number of spacecraft in this constellation has exceeded 11,000, further solidifying its status as the world's largest satellite network. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

According to ixbt.com, the latest successful launch took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. The company's reliable Falcon 9 launch vehicle was used for this mission. The rocket liftoff and separation of the main stages went according to plan without any malfunctions.

Reusable Records

This flight once again confirmed the reliability of reusable rocket technology. After about eight minutes of flight, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, designated B1097, successfully landed on the autonomous droneship «Of Course I Still Love You» in the Pacific Ocean. This was the twelfth successful flight for this specific rocket booster.

This first stage has previously participated in a number of critical missions. In particular, it was successfully used to deliver Twilight, Transporter-17, Sentinel-6B, NROL-172 spacecraft, as well as the previous seven batches of the Starlink constellation. Experts note that such a technological approach significantly reduces the cost of space launches.

Global Network and Its Scale

Currently, the Starlink orbital constellation created by SpaceX accounts for a significant portion—specifically, about two-thirds—of all satellites in space. However, it should be noted that the figure of over 11,000 includes not only fully operational devices, but also retired, malfunctioning units or those being prepared for gradual deorbiting.

Nevertheless, the company is rapidly continuing its project to provide high-speed internet to any point on Earth. To date, the number of landings carried out on SpaceX’s custom-built droneships has also reached record highs.

Technological Achievement Statistics

According to reports, this landing of the B1097 stage on the special droneship «Of Course I Still Love You» marked the 219th successful landing in history for this vessel. Overall, this was recorded as the 651st successful landing of Falcon 9 first stages worldwide.

These figures represent an unprecedented achievement in the aerospace industry, enabling the company to radically reduce space launch costs and dramatically increase flight frequency. SpaceX continues to steadily move toward its goals of expanding global internet coverage.