SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, deploying 21 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Thirteen of the satellites are equipped with Direct to Cell capabilities, designed to provide text and data cellphone service.
The launch occurred about eight minutes after liftoff, when the reused first stage booster landed successfully on a droneship named “A Shortfall of Gravitas”. This marked the 93rd successful booster landing for SpaceX’s Autonomous Spacecraft Operations Group (ASOG).
SpaceX has been launching Starlink missions with Direct to Cell satellites since last year. The company claims its DTC network consists of nearly 350 satellites, but some may have already deorbited or are not part of the operational fleet.
To date, SpaceX has launched a total of 401 DTC Starlink satellites, but 13 failed to reach their intended orbit due to an upper-stage anomaly. Despite this, SpaceX plans to double its Direct to Cell Starlink satellite constellation by mid-2025.
The company’s innovative technology uses custom silicon phased array antennas and advanced software algorithms to enable phone-to-space communications. The Direct to Cell constellation is nearly 10 times larger than other operators pursuing a similar capability combined.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/01/08/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-21-starlink-satellites-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-the-kennedy-space-center-2