CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — During the early morning hours, SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink satellites on Wednesday.
What You Need To Know
- SpaceX launched the Starlink 8-9 mission early Wednesday morning
- The company’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
During the early morning hours, @SpaceX launched a batch of #Starlink satellites, reports @AnthonyLeone.
— Spectrum News 13 (@MyNews13) July 3, 2024
Learn more about the mission here: https://t.co/sTUvRJXctQ pic.twitter.com/JWWVBKknfB
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sent up Starlink 8-9 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated the California-based company.
The launch happened at 4:55 a.m. ET, but it was originally set to take off at 3:59 a.m. ET. SpaceX did not give a reason for the delay.
Sweet 16
This was the 16th mission for the Falcon 9's first-stage booster B1073. The flights it has conducted include a number of Starlink ones and an impressive Japanese/NASA lunar mission:
- ispace’s HAKUTO-R and NASA’s Lunar Flashlight
- SES-22 telecommunications satellite
- Amazonas Nexus
- CRS-27
- Bandwagon-1
- 10 Starlink satellite missions
After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
About the mission
The SpaceX-owned company Starlink had 20 of its satellites launched to low-Earth orbit to join their mechanical brothers and sisters already there.
These satellites provide internet services to many parts of the world.
Dr. Jonathan McDowell, of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, documents Starlink satellites.
Before this launch, McDowell recorded the following:
- 6,219 are in orbit
- 5,818 are in operational orbit
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