CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE — While there were a few delays, SpaceX was able to launch more than 20 Starlink satellites early Thursday morning.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 20 Starlink satellites were sent to low-Earth orbit

  • The Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40

The California-based company’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:07 a.m. ET, stated SpaceX.

The launch window was originally set to open at 11:01 p.m. ET, but it was pushed back to 11:41 p.m. ET and then eventually 12:07 a.m. ET. SpaceX had other attempts, with the final time being at 2:59 a.m. ET, Thursday.

SpaceX did not give a reason why the Starlink 6-33 mission was pushed back. If the mission was scrubbed, the next liftoff attempt would have been Thursday, Dec. 7, with the launch window starting at 11:01 p.m. ET.

And the weather was good for the early Thursday morning launch, with the 45th Weather Squadron giving a 95% chance of good liftoff conditions. The only main concern was the liftoff winds.

Go here to learn about NASA’s launch weather criteria for the Falcon 9 rocket.

Going into orbit

This Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, called B1077, has eight successful missions, excluding this one.

  1. Crew-5
  2. GPS III Space Vehicle 06
  3. Inmarsat I-6 F2
  4. CRS-28
  5. Intelsat G-37
  6. Starlink mission 5-10
  7. Starlink mission 6-13
  8. Starlink mission 6-25

After the stage separation, the first-stage booster landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions that will be in the Atlantic Ocean.

About the mission

File image by SpaceX

The Starlink 6-33 mission sent up 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, where they will join the thousands of their mechanical brothers and sisters already up there.

These Starlink V2 Mini satellites each weigh 1,760 pounds (800 kilograms) and will provide internet services to many places around the globe, stated Starlink, a SpaceX company.

Before the launch, Dr. Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ documented the following Starlink satellite information.

  • 5,164 are in orbit
  • 5,125 in working order
  • 4,530 are in operational orbit

-

Facebook Twitter