SpaceX plans to launch another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Tuesday (January 10), and you can watch the action live.
A falcon 9 rocket topped with 51 from SpaceX starlink internet satellites is scheduled to lift off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Tuesday at 11:02 pm EST (8:02 pm local California time; 04:02 GMT on January 11). The launch was originally scheduled for Monday night (January 9), but SpaceX pulled out of that attempt due to bad weather.
See it live here on Space.com, courtesy of spacexor directly through the company (opens in a new tab). Coverage is expected to begin about five minutes before takeoff.
related: 10 Weird Things About SpaceX’s Starlink Internet Satellites
If all goes to plan, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will return to Land just under nine minutes after launch, landing on SpaceX’s Of Course I Still Love You unmanned spacecraft, which will be parked in the Pacific Ocean.
It will be the ninth launch and landing of this particular booster, according to EverydayAstronaut.com (opens in a new tab).
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 upper stage will carry the Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, deploying all 51 29 minutes after liftoff. according to a SpaceX mission description (opens in a new tab).
Starlink is SpaceX’s broadband constellation, currently consisting of more than 3,300 operational satellites (opens in a new tab).
That number is growing, as Tuesday’s planned liftoff shows, and it can eventually get really staggering. SpaceX has approval to launch 12,000 Starlink spacecraft and has applied for permission to launch nearly 30,000 more on top of that.
The Starlink launch will be the second in two days for SpaceX, if all goes to plan. A Falcon 9 too launched 40 Internet satellites OneWeb from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday night (January 9).
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:50 pm ET on January 1. 9 with the new release time of 12:35 am EST. It was updated again at 12:15 am ET on January 1. 10 with the news that SpaceX decided withdraw from Monday night/Tuesday morning attempt (opens in a new tab) Due to bad weather.
Mike Wall is the author of “out there (opens in a new tab)(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; Illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for extraterrestrial life. Follow him on Twitter @migueldwall (opens in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter @spacedot.com (opens in a new tab) either Facebook (opens in a new tab).
