# Used SpaceX rocket launches 7,001st Starlink satellite (and 20 others), lands at sea (video) ## SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 21 Starlink satellites, lands on drone ship ### The launch was the 14th of the year for SpaceX A used SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites into orbit on Thursday (May 12) and then successfully landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the 14th launch of the year for the Elon Musk-led company. The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:59 p.m. EDT (1759 GMT). The first stage of the Falcon 9, which had previously flown four times, successfully landed on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" about 8 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff. The 21 Starlink satellites were deployed into orbit about 15 minutes after liftoff. The satellites will join the growing constellation of Starlink satellites that SpaceX is building to provide global broadband internet service. This launch marked the 7,001st Starlink satellite to be launched by SpaceX. The company has said that it plans to launch a total of 12,000 Starlink satellites into orbit. In addition to the 21 Starlink satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket also carried two small satellites for the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Iowa. The launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday (May 11), but was delayed by one day due to bad weather. SpaceX has now launched a total of 160 Starlink satellites into orbit in 2022. The company is on track to launch more than 500 Starlink satellites this year. The Starlink constellation is designed to provide global broadband internet service to areas that are not currently served by traditional internet providers. SpaceX has said that the Starlink network will be able to provide speeds of up to 1 Gbps to users. The Starlink constellation is still under development, but SpaceX has already begun to offer beta service to users in select areas. The company plans to expand the beta service to more areas in the coming months. Once the Starlink constellation is complete, it will be the largest commercial satellite constellation in history. The constellation will provide global broadband internet service to billions of people around the world.
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