CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — The weather looked like it could delay SpaceX’s Friday night launch of a Starlink mission, but it launched on time.
What You Need To Know
- SpaceX lifted off on time from Space Launch Complex 40
The Falcon 9 rocket sent up the Starlink 6-59 mission from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated SpaceX.
The launch window opened at 8:32 p.m. ET, with the launch taking place shortly after.
Going up
This is the 21st mission for the Falcon 9's first-stage booster B1062. Here are the impressive 20 missions B1062 has done before this launch.
- GPS III Space Vehicle 04
- GPS III Space Vehicle 05
- Inspiration4
- Ax-1
- Nilesat 301
- OneWeb Launch 17
- Arabsat's Badr 8
- 13 Starlink satellite missions
After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket is expected to land on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas that will be in the Atlantic Ocean.
About the mission
The 23 satellites from the Starlink company, owned by SpaceX, will be heading to low-Earth orbit to join the thousands already there.
Dr. Jonathan McDowell, of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has been recording Starlink satellites.
Before this launch, McDowell documented the following:
- 6,017 are in orbit
- 5,240 are in operational orbit
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