SpaceX is set to launch 23 Starlink satellites on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry the satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) during a launch window starting at 5:47 p.m. EDT (2147 GMT). This launch was originally scheduled for October 22 but was postponed due to weather concerns. The mission will be streamed live on SpaceX’s official channels, starting five minutes before liftoff.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 will return to Earth approximately eight minutes after launch, landing on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This will be the 18th flight for this particular booster, marking SpaceX’s continued commitment to reusability. The second stage will deploy the 23 Starlink satellites about 65 minutes after liftoff.
This mission adds to the growing Starlink mega constellation, which now surpasses 6,400 satellites. The Starlink project aims to provide global high-speed internet coverage, and the majority of SpaceX’s 98 missions this year have been dedicated to expanding this network.
