SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off on its 24th record flight at the beginning of December 4th

SpaceX just set a new rocket reuse record.

One of the company’s Falcon 9 rockets lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 5:13 a.m. EST (1013 GMT) on Wednesday (December 4). The mission will launch 24 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO).

According to a SpaceX mission description, it was the 24th launch of this Falcon 9’s first stage, surpassing the previous mark of 23 flights held by three different boosters.

Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky

About eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth for its 24th landing. It landed vertically on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” which was stationed in the Atlantic.

The first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket lands on a SpaceX recovery drone ship on Wednesday, December 4th

The first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket lands on a SpaceX recovery drone ship on Wednesday, December 4th (Image credit: SpaceX)

Meanwhile, the rocket’s upper stage continued stationing the 24 Starlink satellites in LEO.

Wednesday’s mission marked another milestone for SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets, which includes the workhorse Falcon 9 and the more powerful Falcon Heavy. SpaceX has launched more than 400 successful Falcon 9 missions and landed the Falcon’s first stages 377 times.

Starlink is the largest satellite constellation ever assembled. Currently it consists of more than 6,750 operational satellites, and this number is constantly growing.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off on its 24th record flight at the beginning of December 4th

ByAmelia Journalton

By Amelia Journalton

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