SpaceX launched 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites late on Friday night (Sept. 15) after a one-day delay.
A Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday at 11:38 p.m. EDT (0338 GMT on Sept. 16).
SpaceX had been planning to launch shortly after midnight on Friday, but the weather apparently didn't cooperate, forcing a nearly 24-hour delay.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth Friday night as planned. It touched down about 8.5 minutes after liftoff on the SpaceX droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast.
SpaceX's desire to have calm seas for this recovery operation may be the reason for the delay; the company had said that it was keeping an eye on the effects of Hurricane Lee in the touchdown zone.
It was the fifth launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The 22 Starlink satellites, meanwhile, deployed from the Falcon 9's upper stage about 65 minutes after launch as planned.
Friday's launch was SpaceX's 64th orbital mission of 2023. More than half of those flights have been dedicated to building out the company's Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists of more than 4,700 operational satellites.
Every new SpaceX launch extends the company's record for most liftoffs in a year. The previous mark, 61, was set in 2022.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 14 with news of the 24-hour launch delay, then again at 12:20 a.m. ET on Sept. 16 with news of successful launch and rocket landing, then again at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 18 with news of satellite deploy.
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