SpaceX launch live: Watch 22 Starlink satellites lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida
SpaceX is planning to launch its Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral in Florida Thursday night.
The space exploration company, founded by Elon Musk, plans to launch the rocket at 7:52 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The base is located in Cape Canaveral, near the Kennedy Space Center and Orlando and on Florida's Atlantic coast.
The livestream of the launch will begin about five minutes before liftoff. You can watch at the top of the page or on SpaceX's YouTube channel.
Once launched, the Falcon 9 rocket will send the satellites to low-Earth orbit. This is the 15th flight for the Falcon 9 booster.
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This is the seventh flight for the first stage booster supporting the mission, according to SpaceX, and after stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
What are Starlink satellites?
Starlink satellites provide internet services to dozens of countries around the world. Thousands of Starlink satellites currently orbit Earth at a closer distance than other internet satellites, giving users a faster internet experience, SpaceX notes.
Backup launch times
SpaceX announced five backup launch opportunities from 8:40 p.m. ET to 11:29 p.m. ET. After that, another launch window opens, if needed, from 7:25 p.m. ET to 10:56 p.m. ET on Friday.