SpaceX launches 46 Starlink satellites, lands rocket on ship at sea

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It was SpaceX's 29th launch of 2022.

SpaceX launched 46 satellites and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea on Sunday (July 10).

A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with 46 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday at 9:39 p.m. EDT (6:39 p.m. local California time; 0139 GMT on July 11). 

About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth and landed on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Related: SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation launches in photos

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 46 Starlink internet satellites punches through the clouds above Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 10, 2022.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 46 Starlink internet satellites punches through the clouds above Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 10, 2022. (Image credit: SpaceX)

It was the sixth launch and landing for this Falcon 9 first stage. The booster also helped loft the Earth-observation satellite Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission and three Starlink batches, SpaceX said in a mission description.

The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, deployed the 46 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit 63 minutes after liftoff as planned, SpaceX announced via Twitter.

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Sunday evening's launch was the 29th orbital mission of the year for SpaceX and the 17th dedicated to Starlink, the company's huge internet-satellite constellation. 

SpaceX has launched more than 2,750 Starlink satellites to date, and the number will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. The company already has approval to launch 12,000 Starlink craft, and it has applied to an international regulator for permission to loft up to 30,000 more on top of that.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:57 p.m. EDT on July 10 with news of the successful liftoff and rocket landing, then again at 11:00 p.m. EDT with news of satellite deployment.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.  

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.