Florida – SpaceX marked the first day of the year’s final month with an early morning Starlink mission, sending a Falcon 9 rocket into the sky from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Complex 39A at 2:44 a.m. EST (0744 GMT) on Monday (Dec. 1).

The rocket carried 29 Starlink satellites on board. About nine minutes after liftoff, the mission achieved its preliminary orbit, positioning the Starlink Group 6-86 satellites for deployment roughly an hour later. “Deployment of 29 Starlink satellites confirmed,” SpaceX noted on social media at 3:50 a.m. EST (0850 GMT).

During that time, the Falcon 9 first stage booster, designated B1095, wrapped up its fourth flight by returning to Earth for a propulsive landing on the autonomous droneship “Just Read the Instructions” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 29 newly launched Starlink satellites join SpaceX’s broadband internet constellation, which now includes just over 9,100 operational spacecraft in low Earth orbit, according to satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.

Monday’s mission was SpaceX’s 153rd Falcon 9 launch of the year, with 110 of those flights carrying Starlink satellites. Since 2019, the company has flown a total of 331 missions dedicated to building out its Starlink megaconstellation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download