In the early hours of Monday, September 25, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is poised for liftoff from California, carrying a precious cargo of 21 Starlink satellites destined for orbital deployment.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch is firmly scheduled to occur at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Florida, precisely at 3:23 a.m. EDT (0723 GMT; 12:23 a.m. local California time)
Those eager to witness this momentous event can catch it live via SpaceX‘s X account, formerly known as Twitter. Tune in approximately five minutes prior to liftoff for comprehensive coverage. In the event of a successful mission, the SpaceX Falcon 9‘s inaugural stage will execute a safe return to Earth, executing a pinpoint landing on a SpaceX drone ship at sea approximately 8.5 minutes post-launch. This upcoming launch will mark a noteworthy milestone as it represents the sixth successful liftoff and landing for this specific SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage, as detailed in an official SpaceX mission description.
Following the initial liftoff, the 21 Starlink satellites are slated to undergo deployment from the SpaceX Falcon 9’s upper stage into low Earth orbit (LEO) about 62.5 minutes following the launch
Remarkably, this launch occurs in close succession to a recent Starlink mission from Florida‘s Space Coast, which counted as the 17th flight for a SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage, tying the company’s reuse record established just last week.
Notably, Starlink, heralded as SpaceX’s monumental internet mega constellations, currently encompasses a staggering 4,750 operational satellites orbiting in LEO, with extensive plans for expansion in the foreseeable future.
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