A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 23 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida tonight (Oct. 21) on the company’s second mission of the day.
The Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight at 10:17 p.m. EDT (0217 GMT on Oct. 22). If SpaceX cannot hit that target, there are five backup opportunities available, from 11:07 p.m. EDT to 2:15 a.m. EDT (0307 to 0515 GMT), according to a company mission description.
SpaceX will webcast the launch via its account on X (formerly known as Twitter). Coverage will start about five minutes before liftoff.
Related: Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky
The Falcon 9’s first stage will come back to Earth for a vertical landing tonight, touching down about 8.5 minutes after launch on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
It will be the fourth flight for this rocket’s first stage, according to the mission description.
The 23 Starlink satellites are scheduled to deploy from the Falcon 9’s upper stage about 65.5 minutes after launch.
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Tonight’s launch will be the second of the day for SpaceX, if all goes according to plan. The company launched 21 Starlink satellites from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base early this morning.
Starlink is SpaceX’s megaconstellation in low Earth orbit, which provides internet service to customers around the world. There are currently almost 4,900 operational Starlink satellites, and the number continues to grow.
Daisy Hips is a science communicator who brings the wonders of the natural world to readers. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to environmental conservation. Daisy is also an advocate for science education and enjoys stargazing in her spare time.
