SpaceX is scheduled to launch 20 Starlink internet satellites from California early Saturday morning (November 9).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink spacecraft, 13 of which have direct cell launch capabilities, will lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Station on Saturday at 1:16 a.m. EST during a four-hour launch. It is planned. ; 10:16 PM local time on November 8th).
SpaceX will webcast the launch live on X about five minutes before liftoff.
If all goes as planned on Saturday morning, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth for a vertical landing about eight minutes after liftoff from the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You,” which will be stationed in the Pacific.
According to one agency, this will be the 11th booster launch and landing. SpaceX mission description.
Meanwhile, Falcon 9’s upper stage will continue to low Earth orbit (LEO) and ultimately deploy 20 Starlink satellites there about 60 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX has already launched more than 100 Falcon 9 missions in 2024, about two-thirds of which are dedicated to building the Starlink network.
The massive and ever-growing constellation currently consists of about 6,500 active spacecraft. According to Astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at midnight ET on November 7, with a new target release date of November 9. The target was November 7th.
