SpaceX plans to launch another big batch of its Starlink satellites into orbit on Friday night (September 16), and you can watch the action live.
spacex plans for loft 54 plus star link broadband satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday at 9:05 pm EDT (01:05 GMT on September 17). You can view it here on Space.com, or directly via spacex (opens in a new tab).
The flight plan requires a falcon 9 rocket to transport the Starlink Group 4-34 satellites to space, and for the rocket’s first stage to land on the Just Read the Instructions drone in the Atlantic Ocean about nine minutes later. It will be the sixth launch and landing of this particular booster, SpaceX wrote in a mission description (opens in a new tab).
related: SpaceX’s Starlink mega-constellation launches in photos
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Starlink is SpaceX’s constellation of broadband satellites. The company has launched more than 3,200 of the satellites into orbit so far. SpaceX is rapidly expanding the constellation, with launches happening nearly every week and sometimes more often than that.
CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk said recently that he expects to throw up to 100 SpaceX missions in 2023. The goal is, in part, to ramp up Starlink service as quickly as possible for the remote customers the company wants to serve.
SpaceX already has regulatory approval to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites. The company has also asked an international regulator to send another 30,000 of the satellites into orbit.
The company is also expanding the types of customers accessing Starlink services.
SpaceX recently announced a collaboration with T-Mobile to broadband beam service directly to cell phones. Additionally, SpaceX signed with Royal Caribbean to offer starlink cruisesto improve Internet service at sea.
Publisher’s note: This story was updated at 9:45 p.m. 13 with the new September release date. 14. SpaceX had planned to launch the mission on September 1. 13 but foiled due to weather. Updated again at 8:50 p.m. 14 with the new September release date. 15. Bad weather rubbed the predicted September. 14 try too. It was updated again on September 7. 15, after bad weather forced another scrubbing.
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