SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites to orbit on brand-new Falcon 9 rocket after abort (photos)

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A brand-new SpaceX rocket just earned its wings.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Tuesday (May 20) at 11:19 p.m. EDT (0319 GMT on May 21), carrying 23 of the company's Starlink broadband satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO).

That was a day later than originally planned; SpaceX attempted to launch the mission on Monday night (May 19), but that try was aborted just before liftoff, for reasons that the company did not immediately explain.

Tuesday's launch was the first ever for this Falcon 9's first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description. That's a rarity for the company, which is known for its pioneering rocket reuse.

About eight minutes after liftoff, the booster made its first-ever landing, touching down on the SpaceX drone ship "Just Read the Instructions," which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Meanwhile, the Falcon 9's upper stage continued carrying the 23 Starlink satellites toward LEO, where they were deployed on schedule about 65 minutes after launch.

Related stories:

— SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk's private spaceflight company

— Starlink satellites: Facts, tracking and impact on astronomy

— Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky

Tuesday night's launch was the 60th Falcon 9 flight of 2025 and the 43rd Starlink mission of the year already.

Starlink is the largest satellite megaconstellation ever constructed, consisting of about 7,500 operational satellites at the moment. And that number is growing all the time, as Tuesday's action shows.