SpaceX gets back on track with a stunning Starlink launch near sunrise

Falcon 9 with 60 Starlink satellites flying directly in front of the Sun from Titusville, Florida. [credit: Trevor Mahlmann for Ars. ]

SpaceX has been trying to get its twelfth batch of operational Starlink satellites into orbit for a while.

The company's first attempt on September 28th was scrubbed due to thick clouds over the launch site at Kennedy Space Center. A second attempt on October 1 got to within 18 seconds of launching before a ground systems issue delayed the launch. Finally, having addressed that issue, poor weather on Monday morning forced yet another delay.

But the fourth time proved the charm for SpaceX on Tuesday morning, as the company's Falcon 9 rocket got its payload of 60 Starlink satellites off the pad and into space shortly after the Sun rose over the Florida coast. With Tuesday's mission, SpaceX has now launched 775 total Starlink satellites, although most of the original 60 prototype satellites have since been de-orbited.

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