SpaceX is preparing to launch 22 Starlink internet satellites from Florida tonight in the first of two planned missions. The launch is scheduled to take place from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a four-hour window starting at 11:00 p.m. EDT. The launch can be watched live on SpaceX’s account on X (formerly known as Twitter). Coverage will begin approximately five minutes before liftoff.
If everything goes as planned, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage will return to Earth for a vertical landing approximately 8.5 minutes after launch. The landing will occur on the drone ship named Just Read the Instructions, located in the Atlantic Ocean. This will be the 11th launch and landing for this particular rocket’s first stage.
The 22 Starlink satellites will be deployed into low Earth orbit around 65.5 minutes after liftoff. This launch is the first of two missions scheduled in a three-hour span. The second mission is set to take place at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday at 1:55 a.m. EDT.
In addition to these two missions, SpaceX has plans for an even more exciting event. They are preparing to launch the second-ever test flight of their enormous Starship rocket from their South Texas site on Saturday. The test is scheduled within a 20-minute window starting at 8 a.m. EDT. Coverage of this highly anticipated flight can be accessed live on Space.com when the time comes.