CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — Just hours before Boeing’s maiden Starliner flight, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying more than 20 Starlink satellites lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.


What You Need To Know

  • SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying more than Starlink satellites at 2:14 p.m. ET

  • It was launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

A Falcon 9 rocket sent up Starlink 6-57 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated SpaceX.

Starlink 6-57 mission launched at 2:14 p.m. ET. The launch window originally had been set to open at 12:36 p.m. ET.

SpaceX owns the Starlink company.

Going up

This marks the 15th mission for the Falcon 9's first-stage booster B1069. Before this launch, its 14 missions include:

After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, which is in the Atlantic Ocean.

About the mission

The 23 Starlink satellites headed to low-Earth orbit to join the thousands of their mechanical brothers and sisters that are already there.

Dr. Jonathan McDowell, of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has been recording Starlink satellites.

Before this launch, McDowell recorded the following:

  • 5,913 are in orbit
  • 5,234 are in operational orbit

Anthony Leone - Digital Media Producer

Anthony has a long career as an editor and reporter for newspapers and news websites. He has covered general and breaking news, crime, and politics. In addition, he also covers space and rocket launches, where he has won awards for this coverage.

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