KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — SpaceX successfully launched 49 Starlink satellites into orbit on Thursday afternoon.
What You Need To Know
- The satellites will eventually provide internet access around the world
- Scroll down to re-watch the launch live
The private company’s Falcon 9 rocket launched at 1:13 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center at Launch Complex 39A.
It was an instantaneous launch window, stated SpaceX, which means if the launch could not happen on Thursday, the next chance would be Friday at 12:51 p.m. EST.
The 45th Weather Squadron gave an 80% chance of good weather for liftoff.
SpaceX stated that 49 satellites onboard the Falcon 9 rocket will become part of a constellation of thousands of mini-satellites that will eventually provide internet access around the world.
For Thursday’s flight, the booster being used is the same one that has been used on such missions as the Crew-1 and Crew-2.
After the stage separation, the Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” which is in the Atlantic Ocean.