news article Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Share 🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur. ✖ SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched on Thursday, carrying another batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. The SpaceX Starlink 6-77 mission, which deployed 23 satellites, lifted off at 3:19 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This marked the third flight for the Falcon 9 booster, having previously supported one Starlink mission and a NASA Crew-9 launch to the International Space Station. The launch came after a series of delays that had pushed the mission back from its initial target of November 3. On Sunday, the launch was scrubbed just two minutes before liftoff due to a helium leak on the rocket's first stage. Another attempt on Wednesday was also called off, reportedly due to unfavorable weather conditions. "Hold, hold, hold. Standing down for helium, stage one," a SpaceX team member could be heard saying during the live broadcast of the planned Sunday launch on X (formerly Twitter). Thursday's liftoff was pushed back by six minutes, but SpaceX did not provide an official reason for the delay. Approximately eight minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 booster landed safely on the "Just Read the Instructions" drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, just west of the Bahamas. SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of the Starlink satellites in a post on X, saying: "Deployment of 23 @Starlink satellites confirmed." A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Expedition 72 astronauts lifts off from launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sept. 28, 2024. The same booster was used on Thursday to... A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Expedition 72 astronauts lifts off from launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sept. 28, 2024. The same booster was used on Thursday to launch a new batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. More