Update March 1, 11:03 PM EST (0403 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of 29 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX started the month of March with successful Falcon 9 launches from both California and Florida on Sunday.
The Starlink 10-41 mission saw the company return to Starlink flights flying on a north-east trajectory, after mostly south-east trajectory missions for the better part of four months.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9:56:40 p.m. EST (0256:40 UTC). It was SpaceX’s 22nd mission of the year to support its broadband internet satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.
The 45th Weather Squadron is estimating a 90 percent chance of favorable weather during the Sunday night launch window, citing a small chance of interference from cumulus clouds.
SpaceX launched the mission using a Falcon 9 first stage booster with tail number 1078. This was its 26th flight after launching previous missions such as Crew-6, Nusantara Lima and USSF-124.
Less than 8.5 minutes after takeoff, B1078 landed on the droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions’, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. This was the 152nd landing on this ship and SpaceX’s 580th booster landing so far.
Following the launch of 25 Starlink satellites on Sunday morning, SpaceX has deployed its total of 566 satellites so far this year.
