SpaceX launches its third rocket in two weeks [Updated]

Enlarge / T+2 seconds and the Falcon 9 rocket is lifting off. (credit: SpaceX)

6am ET Saturday Update: Just before sunrise along the Florida coast, a Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted off on Saturday. The rocket performed nominally, ultimately delivering its payload of three SkySats and 58 Starlink satellites into orbit. This was the eighth flight of the current design of Starlink satellites, and the ninth launch of a large batch of them.

After the mission, the first stage successfully landed on a drone ship. SpaceX has now landed 55 first stage boosters.

Original post: Early on Saturday morning, SpaceX will go for its third launch in two weeks with another Starlink mission into low Earth orbit. This will bring the total number of Starlink Internet satellites launched to date to nearly 540.

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