SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket sets record with 16th successful launch and landing

SpaceX achieved another remarkable milestone as its Falcon 9 rocket completed its record-breaking 16th launch and landing on ship at sea on Sunday.

The Falcon 9's first-stage booster, which had been flown and landed 15 times previously, successfully returned to Earth once again. Approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, it made a precise landing on the deck of SpaceX's droneship Just Read the Instructions located in the Atlantic Ocean.

While the first stage completed its landing, the Falcon 9's expendable upper stage continued its journey, carrying the 22 Starlink satellites toward their target orbit. The satellites were scheduled to be deployed approximately 62 minutes after launch.

The 22 satellites are part of the newer and more advanced "V2 Mini" version of SpaceX's Starlink broadband craft. These satellites are larger than the previous iterations and include key technologies, such as more powerful phased array antennas and the use of E-band for backhaul. With these advancements, the V2 Minis are expected to provide approximately four times more capacity per satellite compared to earlier versions.