SpaceX is poised to launch additional internet satellites from Florida’s Space Coast today (Jan. 8).
A Falcon 9 rocket is set to carry 21 Starlink satellites, which include 13 equipped with Direct to Cell features, and is scheduled to take off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station within a nearly four-hour launch window starting at 10:27 a.m. EST (1527 GMT).
SpaceX will livestream the launch, starting approximately five minutes before liftoff, both on its website and on the X social platform.
If everything proceeds according to plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth about eight minutes following liftoff. It will land on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
This will mark the third launch and landing for this specific booster, which previously completed one Starlink mission, according to a SpaceX mission overview.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage will transport the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), with deployment occurring approximately 65 minutes post-liftoff.
Starlink represents the largest satellite constellation ever launched — and it is constantly expanding, as showcased by today’s anticipated launch. Currently, there are over 6,850 operational Starlink satellites in LEO, according to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.