SpaceX is scheduled to launch 22 more of its Starlink broadband satellites to orbit from Florida’s Space Coast on Thursday (June 13).
The Starlink satellites will lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a two-hour window that opens at 4:46 p.m. EDT (2046 GMT). SpaceX had planned to launch the mission on Wednesday evening (June 12) but pushed the try back by about 24 hours.
SpaceX will stream the action live via its account on X, beginning about five minutes before launch.
The Falcon 9’s first stage will come back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after launch, if all goes according to plan, landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.
It will be the 16th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Ten of its 15 flights to date have been Starlink missions.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, will continue carrying the 22 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, deploying them about 53 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX has launched 60 orbital missions so far in 2024, which works out to an average of one liftoff every 2.7 days.
Forty-three of these launches have been dedicated to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists of nearly 6,100 operational spacecraft.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. ET on June 12 with the new target launch date of June 13.
Dr. Sarah Adams is a scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to all. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
