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Jan. 28 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched two Starlink missions into space on Sunday, the first from the Florida shore followed hours later by the second from the California coast. In total, SpaceX added 45 Starlink Satellites to its growing constellation of more than 5,000 orbitals in low-Earth orbit that provide high-speed, low-latency Internet the globe over.
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The first SpaceX Falcon 9 launch blasted off against the backdrop of a dark Florida sky at 8:10 p.m. EST Sunday, carrying 23 Starlink satellites that were deployed into low-Earth orbit.
The mission was in question just 40 seconds before the scheduled liftoff due to a high wind advisory at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. It was the 74th launch of a Falcon rocket from this pad (including nine Falcon Heavy rockets), according to SpaceX.
After a 13-second fiery entry back into Earth's atmosphere, the reusable booster, named 1062B, landed on A Shortfall of Gravitas, a drone ship deployed to recover the booster so it can be used again. It was the 18th mission for the booster.
The second launch of a Flacon 9 rocket with a payload of 22 Starlink satellites lifted off several hours later at 9:57 p.m. PT from Space Launch Complex 4 East at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Its first-stage booster was on its ninth flight and returned to Earth where it successfully landed upon the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was awaiting its re-entry in the Pacific Ocean.
It was SpaceX's 293rd and 294th launches overall, which puts the company on track to set a record. SpaceX aims to eclipse the number of launches of NASA's space shuttles by the end of 2024.
