SpaceX successfully launches 60 more Starlink internet satellites  

US rocket and spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX has successfully launched its 12th Starlink satellite internet mission.

A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carrying a new batch of 60 Starlink satellites lifted off from launch complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The satellites were deployed approximately 15 minutes after lift-off.

Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ droneship in the Atlantic Ocean after separation stage.

In June, Falcon 9’s first stage supported the launch of the GPS III Space Vehicle 03 mission for the US Space Force.

On 18 August, SpaceX launched its 11th Starlink mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

In a separate development, SpaceX has conducted the second short flight test of Starship prototype in the past month.

The Serial Number 6 (SN6) prototype took off from the SpaceX’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The prototype returned back to land after reaching approximately 500ft above the ground.

The flight test is seemingly identical to the test conducted of the SN5 prototype on 5 August.

In June, SpaceX’s SN4 Starship prototype, which was designed for affordable human space travel, exploded during test-firing at its private launch site in Boca Chica.

Last month, SpaceX secured $1.9bn in the latest funding round, where 75 investors have participated in the offering according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.