Soaring to New Heights: Falcon 9’s Mission to Deploy 21 Starlink Satellites from Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center during the late night hours on Monday, aiming to add an additional 21 satellites to its orbiting Starlink constellation.

The liftoff of the Starlink 12-2 mission from pad 39A is slated for 12:35 a.m. EST (0535 UTC), which is merely five days and seven hours following the last launch from this historic site, establishing a new record turnaround for SpaceX.

Spaceflight Now will provide live coverage of the mission commencing one hour before launch. This will mark SpaceX’s 131st orbital launch in 2024.

Meteorologists working at the 45th Weather Squadron, located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, have forecasted a 60-percent likelihood of favorable weather conditions for the launch. The primary concern lies with rain showers that could breach the Eastern Range’s cumulus cloud regulations. If necessary, multiple launch opportunities for the Starlink 12-2 mission are available until 3:21 a.m. EST (0821 UTC).

Among the 21 satellites, 13 are designed for direct-to-cellphone connectivity. SpaceX’s U.S. cellphone collaborator, T-Mobile, recently announced the initiation of a beta text messaging service through the direct-to-cell Starlink satellites.

Starlink 12-2 will be launched by Falcon 9 first-stage booster 1080, marking its 14th flight. This booster was brought into service in May 2023 with the launch of the Axiom 2 commercial space station mission. It has previously launched seven batches of Starlink satellites.

Post stage separation, the booster will continue downrange for a landing on the SpaceX droneship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ positioned in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Bahamas.

The 21 Starlink satellites will be deployed from the Falcon 9 upper stage into an orbit of 293 by 284 kilometers, at a 43-degree inclination, shortly after an hour post-launch.