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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – Spacex will release another large batch of Starlink satellites in orbit for the company’s burgeoning mega-constellation today (Sept. 17), and you can watch the action live online.
The California-based company is slated to install 60 Starlink Internet satellites on its workhorse. Falcon 9 rocket from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than 2:19 pm EDT (1819 GMT).
You can watch the launch live here and on the Space.com home page, courtesy of SpaceX, beginning about 15 minutes before lift-off. You can also watch the launch straight through SpaceX.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega-constellation launches in photos
Today’s flight, dubbed Starlink 12 by SpaceX, is actually the thirteenth large batch of satellites the company has launched into space. However, the company has been systematically de-orbiting its initial batch of 60 satellites which launched in May 2019. That’s because SpaceX always intended that initial group to be a test series. So far, 26 of the original satellites have been exorbitant, eight are in decaying orbits, and 26 are operational.
SpaceX hopes to provide high-speed Internet access to users around the world through the mega-constellation Starlink. By using a small terminal (no bigger than a laptop), users on the ground will be able to connect to the ever-growing network. Founder and CEO of SpaceX Elon musk it has said the company needs to launch between 500 and 800 satellites to begin implementing the service.
To date, SpaceX has put more than 700 Internet-transmitting satellites into orbit in an effort to complete its initial planned constellation of 1,440 spacecraft. SpaceX has already started testing the speed of its space-based internet service, and the initial data looks promising. The company’s engineers have said that the data collected so far indicates that the service will provide fast download speeds, allowing users to stream multiple HD movies at the same time.
Starlink’s broadband internet is in a private beta testing phase now, but will be available for the public to begin beta testing later this year, SpaceX representatives said.
Related: SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites and lands a rocket in dazzling night liftoff
Today’s launch marks the 94th flight overall of SpaceX’s two-stage workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. Takeoff is expected to feature a veteran Falcon 9 on the first stage, designated B1051, which has five flights to its credit. This frequent flyer previously launched three separate Starlink flights, as well as a trio of Earth observation satellites for Canada and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft in Demo-1, an unmanned test flight to the International Space Station in March 2019.
Flying previously flown thrusters has become commonplace for SpaceX as the company continues to demonstrate the reliability of the Falcon 9. Today’s launch will mark the second time that one of the veteran thrusters in the company’s fleet will attempt to take off and land by sixth time.
SpaceX is both the launch provider and customer for its Starlink missions and as such has maintained a rapid launch pace this summer, relying heavily on its fleet of flight-tested thrusters. In fact, this mission marks Flight 17 of 2020 for SpaceX, with Falcon 9 winning. the title of the most flown American rocket earlier this year, a superlative it got from a main competitor, Atlas V. of the United Launch Alliance.
To date, SpaceX has successfully landed its first stage thrusters 60 times. Now that the company has two fully operational drone boat landing pads – “Of course I still love you” and “Just read the instructions” – in Florida, it can launch (and land) more rockets. The newest drone ship on the block, “Just Read the Instructions”, is already in the recovery zone waiting for its turn to catch the B1051 when it returns to Earth this afternoon.
Related: Why SpaceX’s Starlink satellites caught astronomers off guard
The weather forecast for today seems doubtful; officers of the 45th US Air Force Weather Squadron predicting 60% chance of favorable launch conditions. Temperatures in the area are assumed to be around 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) with the potential for cumulus clouds and anvils.
If the mission cannot take off today, there is a backup attempt tomorrow (September 18). However, the weather worsens to only a 40% chance of favorable conditions for takeoff, as storms are expected to hit the area on Friday.
SpaceX will continue its tradition of recovering the payload fairing, or nose cone, from the Falcon 9 on today’s flight. The company has already deployed its twin boats equipped with nets, called GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief, to hook the fairings as they fall back to Earth in two pieces.
Each piece of the shell-like hardware, which costs approximately $ 6 million combined, is equipped with software that takes you to the recovery zone and a parachute system that allows them to land softly in the ocean or on GO’s extended network. Ms. Tree and Wow Mrs. Boss.
One of the fairing pieces on this mission has already flown twice, protecting two different Starlink payloads – one in May 2019 and one in March 2020.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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