SpaceX is gearing up for another significant launch, intending to send an additional 23 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Florida tonight (Nov. 21). The company has been in a flurry of activity lately, and this launch will mark its 15th mission using a specific Falcon 9 rocket booster.
Scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to launch within a nearly four-hour window starting at 11:01 p.m. EDT (0401 GMT on Nov. 22). Viewers can catch the live broadcast via SpaceX’s X account (formerly known as Twitter), which will commence approximately five minutes before the launch window opens.
Should everything proceed as planned, the Falcon 9’s first stage aims to make a precise vertical landing on the drone ship named “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 8.5 minutes after liftoff. Impressively, this will mark the booster’s 15th launch and landing, having previously undertaken missions such as six other Starlink flights, along with Crew-3 and Crew-4 for NASA in November 2021 and April 2022, respectively.
Following liftoff, the 23 Starlink satellites are scheduled to be deployed from Falcon 9’s upper stage into low Earth orbit approximately 65.5 minutes after takeoff.
SpaceX has been maintaining a hectic launch schedule, evident in their recent activity. Just last week, they launched 23 Starlink satellites on Friday (Nov. 17), conducted the much-anticipated second test flight of their next-gen Starship rocket on Saturday (Nov. 18), and sent an additional 22 Starlinks into orbit early Monday morning (Nov. 20).
