--- title: "On October 20, watch as SpaceX launches 54 Starlink satellites and lands a rocket." description: "Once more, SpaceX is prepared to grow its fleet of internet satellites." author: "Muskan Singh" published: 2022-10-21 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2194/on-october-20-watch-as-spacex-launches-54-starlink-satellites-and-lands-a-rocket category: "space and research" tags: ["technology", "network", "technology news", "space science", "science and technology"] reading_time: 2 minutes --- # On October 20, watch as SpaceX launches 54 Starlink satellites and lands a rocket. **54 [Starlink satellites](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/86744/elon-musk-launch-its-first-direct-to-cell-starlink-satellites) are slated to be launched by SpaceX on its 48th launch of 2022 on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 10:50 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT) (1450 GMT).** Live coverage is available at Space.com thanks to SpaceX. About five minutes before liftoff, coverage will start. The [**Starlink Group**](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2190/starlink-a-private-aeroplane-internet-service-is-launched-by-spacex) 4-36 satellites will be launched into space by a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at Florida's Space Launch Complex 40. If all **goes according to plan, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will touch down less than nine minutes later at sea atop a SpaceX droneship.** 15.5 minutes after takeoff, the satellites will be deployed into low Earth orbit. A constellation of internet satellites called [**Starlink**](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2132/elon-musk-s-spacex-will-apply-for-an-indian-starlink-services-authorization) was created primarily to serve outlying regions. **With an estimated 3,100 operational [satellites in orbit](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/102258/how-do-space-agencies-track-and-control-satellites-in-orbit), the network is enormous and constantly expanding.** Pending regulatory approval, SpaceX hopes to expand it tenfold. During the continuing Russian [invasion of Ukraine](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/83037/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-would-reverberate-around-the-world), Starlink service has proven essential for beleaguered Ukrainians, and SpaceX just agreed to continue subsidising the constellation's **Ukraine operations after initially suggesting that the Pentagon shoulder some of the burden.** With more than two months remaining in the calendar year, **SpaceX is on schedule to launch 50 rockets in 2022, breaking the [previous record](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/157521/store-the-previous-record-in-its-history-table-before-updating-it-in-the-sql-table-using-a-trigger) of 31 set in 2021.** The majority of launches this year have been focused on Starlink, but several have also lofted [American military](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/86563/american-military-power-vs-china-military-power-which-is-bigger) satellites, delivered NASA astronauts to the [International Space](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/114598/how-does-the-international-space-station-iss-benefit-from-nasa-s-research) Station, and performed other missions. **A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 54 Starlink internet satellites lifted out on Thursday from Cape Canaveral, continuing SpaceX's deployments for a broadband network connecting rural homes, ships, [commercial aircraft](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/46868/when-traveling-on-a-commercial-aircraft-whether-domestic-or-international-flight-what-is-proper-etiquette-and-what-is-rude),** and Ukrainian [military forces](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/1888/some-facts-about-china-s-military-forces) in their conflict with Russia. --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2194/on-october-20-watch-as-spacex-launches-54-starlink-satellites-and-lands-a-rocket Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.