As planned, B1083, shut down its nine Merlin engines and separated from Falcon 9's upper stage about 2.5 minutes into flight. Approximately six minutes later, the booster executed a landing burn to safely touch down on SpaceX's Just Read the Instructions droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The Falcon 9 rests on the deck of a drone ship at sea shortly after its touchdown on April 12, 2025. (Image credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner) The rocket's upper stage continued its LEO insertion burn with its 23 payloads. The 13 of those equipped with SpaceX's Direct to Cell technology are part of the company's next-step Starlink efforts, which aims to help eliminate cellular dead zones for mobile devices around the globe. SpaceX has partnered with T-Mobile in the U.S. to bring this capability to customers. One hour into flight, the Starlink satellites were released to begin their individual maneuvers into more specific orbits, joining with join SpaceX's growing megaconstellation. Get the Space.com Newsletter