SpaceX launched 20 Starlink internet satellites from California this morning

SpaceX plans to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites from California this morning (October 29).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct communications (DTC) capability, is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base today, during a nearly hour-long window that opens at 7:44 a.m. ET. 11:44 GMT; 4:44 local time in California).

SpaceX will broadcast the launch live via X starting approximately five minutes before liftoff.

If all goes according to plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth approximately eight minutes after liftoff. He will land on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, which will be located in the Pacific Ocean.

According to SpaceX’s mission description, this will be the 14th launch and landing of this particular launch vehicle and the 11th Starlink mission overall.

The Falcon 9 upper stage will carry the Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO), where they will be deployed approximately an hour after liftoff.

Connected: Starlink Satellite Train: How to See and Track It in the Night Sky

SpaceX has already launched more than 100 Falcon 9 missions in 2024, about two-thirds of them dedicated to creating the Starlink mega-constellation.

The company currently operates more than 6,400 Starlink spacecraft in Earth orbit, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracking specialist Jonathan McDowell. About 250 of them are DTC satellites.

SpaceX launched 20 Starlink internet satellites from California this morning

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