SpaceX launches 40 OneWeb internet satellites to orbit, lands rocket

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 40 broadband satellites to orbit for the U.K. company OneWeb on Thursday (March 9) and came back to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown. 

The two-stage Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida Thursday at 2:13 p.m. EST (1913 GMT).

The rocket's first stage came back to Earth right on schedule, touching down on a landing pad at Cape Canaveral about 7 minutes and 50 seconds after launch. 

Related: 8 ways that SpaceX has transformed spaceflight

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 40 OneWeb internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on March 9, 2023. (Image credit: SpaceX)

It was the 13th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Among those previous flights were SpaceX's two private astronaut missions, Inspiration4 and Ax-1, which launched in September 2021 and April 2022, respectively.

The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, continued making its way to low Earth orbit (LEO). The OneWeb satellites were deployed in small batches beginning about 59 minutes after liftoff. All 40 had been successfully deployed by T+96 minutes.

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket comes down for a landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station shortly after launching 40 OneWeb internet satellites on March 9, 2023.

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket comes down for a landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station shortly after launching 40 OneWeb internet satellites on March 9, 2023. (Image credit: SpaceX via Twitter)

OneWeb is building a constellation of more than 600 satellites in LEO, which will provide internet service to customers around the world. 

Thursday's mission, known as OneWeb 17, brings the number of satellites in this network to 582, company representatives said in a mission description. Just one more launch, of another 40 satellites, will finish the constellation's construction, they added.

Most of OneWeb's satellites have launched atop Russian-built Soyuz rockets operated by the French company Arianespace. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year ended that arrangement, and OneWeb had to find other rides to orbit.

The company did so in short order, inking deals with SpaceX and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the Indian Space Research Organisation's commercial branch. OneWeb has now flown three times with SpaceX (on Falcon 9 rockets) and once with NSIL (on an Indian GSLV Mark III vehicle).

The SpaceX launch contract is interesting, given that Elon Musk's company is building its own broadband megaconstellation in LEO. SpaceX's network, called Starlink, consists of more than 3,700 operational spacecraft and continues to grow. 

Editor's note: This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. ET on March 9 with news of successful launch and rocket landing, then again at 4 p.m. ET with news of satellite deployment.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.  

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

  • Alfred Herman Schrader
    I invented 3D printed rocket engines.
    I also invented entirely re-usable rockets not just the booster. How they work is the booster contains extra liquid fuel and oxidizer plus small solid fuel landing motors. After the second stage separates, the booster continues on to a parking Low Earth Orbit and waits. When the mission is done the upper stages dock back with the booster and all of it lands back on earth making the entire rocket re-usable. Elon does not have either of these. The solid fuel motors are throttled using waste gates that release combustion chamber pressures.
    Reply
  • Nobody_Home
    Cool! Send the Youtube link of your latest launch....we'd love to see it
    Reply