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is launching , they're practically routine at this point: "Oh look, another Falcon 9 launch. What's for lunch?" But sometimes we get a new perspective on a mission that renews my excitement for rockets. On Thursday, SpaceX founder at a Falcon 9 second-stage deorbit burn.


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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)














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It's not the highest-resolution view you'll ever see, but what's notable about and video is that they came from the point of view of a Starlink satellite. It's easier to spot the action in the video clip. Look past the string of satellites floating in space and watch for a small white object near the upper right corner. At first, it appears to float there, then it shoots away toward the right like a bat out of hell.

Here's what's happening. The Falcon 9 -- SpaceX's workhorse rocket, responsible for launching both satellites and astronauts -- uses two stages. The first handles the heavy lifting of takeoff and then brings itself back down to Earth for {worst youtube channel reuse. The second stage handles the delivery of the payload to orbit. The second stage is ultimately doomed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The deorbit burn puts it in position to safely dispose of itself.