CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — SpaceX successfully launched its latest batch of Starlink communications satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:10 a.m. Tuesday, the company stated.
What You Need To Know
- The Falcon 9 rocket carried the Starlink 10-45 mission into orbit from Space Launch Complex 40
The 45th Weather Squadron had given a “10→5%” chance against liftoff, with the only forecast concern being the thick cloud layers rule.
Find out more about the weather criteria for a Falcon 9 launch.
Going up
This was the 28th mission for this Falcon 9's first-stage booster called B1080.
Some of old B1080’s previous missions include two crew launches to the International Space Station.
After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
About the mission
The 29 satellites from the Starlink company, owned by SpaceX, will be heading to low-Earth orbit to join the thousands already there.
Once deployed in orbit, they will provide internet service to many parts of Earth.
Dr. Jonathan McDowell, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has been recording Starlink satellites.
Before this launch, McDowell recorded the following:
- 10,799 Starlink satellites currently in orbit
- 9,062 that are in an operational orbit
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