Florida (Newsman): SpaceX intends to launch a second set of Starlink satellites off the coast of Florida early on Monday, November 25.
According to Space.com, the Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink spacecraft, including 12 with direct-to-smartphone capability, has been slated to blast off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday within a 3.5-hour window that opens at 4:35 am EST (0935GMT).
If everything goes as planned, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will return to Earth and land on the drone ship around eight minutes after liftoff.
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Interestingly, a SpaceX mission description states that this will be the 13th launch and landing for this booster. Furthermore, Starlink missions have accounted for six of its 12 flights to date.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage will keep delivering the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. It is also planned to deploy them there around 65 minutes following liftoff.
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Astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell claims that over 6,600 operational spacecraft, it is the largest satellite network ever constructed.
Starlink flights have accounted for over 70% of SpaceX’s 115 Falcon 9 missions in 2024.
