Sat. Dec 2nd, 2023
SpaceX to Launch 22 More Starlink Satellites from California

SpaceX is set to launch an additional 22 Starlink internet satellites from California. The launch is scheduled for early Sunday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 rocket will lift off during a four-hour window starting at 1:55 a.m. EDT. The event can be watched live on SpaceX’s account on X.

If all goes as planned, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth for a vertical landing approximately 8.5 minutes after launch. It will touch down on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, which will be positioned in the Pacific Ocean. This will mark the 15th launch and landing for this particular rocket’s first stage.

In addition to the Starlink launches, the first stage has also been involved in the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, a NASA mission that successfully impacted an asteroid in September 2022. The 22 Starlink satellites will be deployed into low Earth orbit approximately 62.5 minutes after liftoff.

This launch will conclude a busy weekend for SpaceX, as the company also launched 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday night. Furthermore, on Saturday, SpaceX conducted the second test flight of Starship, a next-generation spacecraft designed for future moon and Mars missions. The test flight initially went well, reaching an altitude of about 91 miles, but unfortunately ended prematurely due to an unplanned explosion.