SpaceX: Falcon 9 launches 58 Starlink internet satellites, 3 Earth-observation satellites

Elon Musk's SpaceX on Saturday, June 13 successfully launched 58 Starlink internet satellites along with three small Earth-observation satellites into the orbit before the Flacon 9 rocket returned to the planet. According to SpaceX, the satellites were launched at the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at liftoff. Reportedly, the glow from the rocket's engines was visible well into the flight as it launched at 5:21 a.m. EDT (0921 GMT).

The launch marked the second Starlink mission this month, with one more mission scheduled for June 22. With plans of conducting fourth space launch within a month, Elon Musk's SpaceX is taking advantage of its elite fleet of Falcon 9 boosters. The flight-proven Falcon 9 is a "reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond," as per SpaceX. It is the world's first orbital-class reusable rocket. 

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NASA-SpaceX Mission

Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched Crew Dragon’s second demonstration (Demo-2) mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT. With NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board, the Dragon spacecraft launch returned human spaceflight to the United States after nine long years. Crew Dragon docked with the International Space Station (ISS) around 10:30 a.m. EDT on May 31.

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United States' National Aeronautics Space Agency (NASA) and SpaceX on May 27 had to call off their Demo-2 mission due to bad weather conditions. However, the launch took place later on May 30 with the Crew Dragon successfully launched into the near-Earth orbiter. Demo-2 is SpaceX’s final test flight to validate its crew transportation system, including the Crew Dragon, Falcon 9 rocket, launch pad, and operations capabilities. 

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