SpaceX has set a new record for reusable rocket first stage, sending it into orbit for the 27th time. On its last flight, the rocket delivered 21 V2 Mini internet satellites into orbit, which happened on April 14. Of the rocket's 27 launches, 16 were as part of the Starlink satellite internet service space constellation expansion program.
The rocket was launched into space from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the U.S. Space Force's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage touched down on an unmanned sea platform in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the 115th successful landing of a Falcon 9 booster on that particular platform and the 431st landing overall. Approximately 65 minutes after launch, right on schedule, the V2 Mini satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit.
This was the 43rd launch of the Falcon 9 rocket this year. Of those, 29 launches were to put spacecraft into orbit for the Starlink internet service, which currently has nearly 7,200 operational satellites and continues to grow. It was also the 460th launch of the Falcon 9 rocket into space.
Two days earlier, on Saturday, April 12, the Falcon 9 rocket delivered another batch of American Starshield reconnaissance satellites into orbit as part of the NROL-192 mission. The launch took place from the SLC-4E launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.