Update 5:06 am EDT: SpaceX has launched the mission and landed B1081 on the drone, “Of course I still love you.”
After its second flight mission in as many months with a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX proceeded to set a new turnaround record. These two launches of 21 Starlink satellites come just days after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily grounded the Falcon fleet amid an investigation into a failed booster landing attempt on Wednesday.
The liftoff of the Starlink 9-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) occurred at 1:48 am PDT (4:48 am EDT, 0848 UTC). This is the second of two consecutive night launches.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1081 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for the ninth time. He previously supported the launches of the Crew-7 astronaut mission to the International Space Station, two climate-related spacecraft (PACE and EarthCARE) and a national security mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
A little over eight minutes after liftoff, B1081 landed on the SpaceX drone, “Of course, I still love you.” This was the 99th landing on OCISLY and the 342nd successful booster landing.
Among the 21 Starlink satellites on board are 13 that feature Direct to Cell capabilities. This will mark the 60th dedicated Starlink launch in 2024 and the 123rd launch of the V2 Mini variety of the Starlink satellite.
The turnaround time between this mission and the previous flight, Starlink 8-10, was a record for SpaceX at one hour and five minutes.