SpaceX launched one more batch of its Starlink web satellites from Florida within the wee hours of Wednesday morning (July 3), following a two-hour delay.A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, together with 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Area Pressure Station on Wednesday at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 UTC). Whereas the launch was delayed resulting from technical points, the three-hour window for liftoff opened at 2:57 a.m. EDT (0601 GMT). The Falcon 9’s first stage got here again to Earth about eight minutes after launch. It can contact down on the droneship known as “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed within the Atlantic Ocean.Associated: SpaceX unveils new Starlink Mini antenna for web customers on the goSpaceX launches a batch of Starlink satellites to orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on July 3, 2024. (Picture credit score: SpaceX/X)Wednesday’s liftoff was the sixteenth launch and touchdown for this explicit booster, in response to a SpaceX mission description. Ten of its 15 flights thus far have been Starlink missions.The Falcon 9’s higher stage, in the meantime, continued hauling the 20 satellites to low Earth orbit, the place there have been deployed about 61 minutes after liftoff. Falcon 9 launches 20 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida, together with 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities. These satellites act as cellphone towers in house, eliminating deadzones with out telephone modifications or particular apps pic.twitter.com/DXTaCokOyEJuly 3, 2024Wednesday morning’s launch was the 67th Falcon 9 mission of 2024 already. Greater than 70% of the rocket’s liftoffs this 12 months have been dedicated to constructing out the ever-growing Starlink megaconstellation, which at the moment consists of greater than 6,150 operational satellites.Breaking house information, the newest updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!Along with this 12 months’s Falcon 9 missions, SpaceX has performed one launch of its highly effective Falcon Heavy rocket and two take a look at flights of Starship, the next-gen automobile the corporate is growing to assist humanity get a toehold on the moon and Mars.This story was up to date at 8 a.m. EDT with information of the profitable launch.