It marked SpaceX's 12th mission of the year, when it lifted off at 5:05 EST from Launch Complex 40.
The payload included 21 Starlink satellites, 13 of them with "direct-to-cell" capabilities. Meanwhile, the first stage of the rocket made its 20th launch before autonomously returning to Earth and land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean roughly eight minutes after launch.
Earlier in the day, the launch was widely expected because the Space Force 45th Weather Squadron had said there would be a 95% chance of liftoff based on weather conditions, with little chance of cumulus clouds in the region.
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