KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — If you were up early (or late), you might have caught Thursday morning's SpaceX launch of more than 50 Starlink satellites, which also marks the 200th successful launch of the company's famed Falcon 9 rocket.
What You Need To Know
- The Falcon 9 sent the satellites up to low-Earth orbit
- The Starlink satellites provide internet access to most parts of the world
- 🔻Scroll down to watch the launch🔻
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/UMNPWnwiQ6
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 2, 2023
The Falcon 9 sent up 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 2:58 a.m. EST. The launch window was originally set for 2:43 a.m. EST.
The 45th Weather Squadron gave a less than 90% chance of good launch weather.
And this is not first-stage booster B1069’s first rodeo. It has successfully launched four missions:
- Dragon CRS-24
- Starlink
- Hotbird 13F
- OneWeb 1
After the stage separation, the first stage landed safely on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas that was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship pic.twitter.com/9a56rWumR1
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 2, 2023
This launch had different backup times for Thursday.
If it was delayed, the next chance would have been at 4:24 a.m. EST and another one was set for 6:05 a.m. EST, stated SpaceX.
However, if Thursday’s launch was scrubbed, the next launch window would have been at 2:18 a.m. EST, Friday, Feb. 03, with two backup times: 3:59 a.m. EST and 5:40 a.m. EST.
About the mission
The Starlink satellites provide internet access to most parts of the world, stated the company that is operated by SpaceX.
Before Thursday morning’s launch, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ astronomer Jonathan McDowell recorded the following information on the current Starlink satellites: 3,530 are in orbit, with 3,485 working and 3,129 operational.
200th successful launch
Thursday's Starlink 5-3 mission marks the 200th successful launch for the Falcon 9 rocket, which debuted in 2010.
However, in June 2015, during an uncrewed resupply mission for the International Space Station, that Falcon 9 rocket exploded due to an overpressure issue in the second-stage liquid oxygen tank.
SpaceX's Dragon capsule was saved from the explosion but was lost during splashdown because the craft did not have a parachute system designed for such a situation.
However, many would consider 200 out of 201 launches to be a good record.
Watch the launch
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