CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The SpaceX launch of Starlink satellites went off without a hitch Friday afternoon, despite concerns about the weather earlier in the day.
What You Need To Know
- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off at 3:21 p.m. EDT Friday
- The rocket carried 53 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit
- Scroll down to watch the launch
SpaceX’s nearly 230-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 3:21 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, with 53 Starlink satellites aboard into low-Earth orbii.
The mission's first-stage booster, labeled B1062, has been on eight missions, including the Axiom mission in April of this year, the Inspiration4 last September and three Starlink launches.
After the stage separation, the rocket’s first stage returned to Earth and landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas that is stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
About the mission
The Starlink satellites deliver internet access coverage to most of the planet and give a high-tech broadband capability for activities like video calls and streaming, stated the company.
SpaceX operates the Starlink company.
Before Friday’s launch and according to Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ astronomer Jonathan McDowell, 2,792 Starlink satellites were in orbit, with 2,756 working and 2,313 that are operational.
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