Early on Monday morning (November 25), SpaceX intends to launch a second set of its Starlink broadband satellites from Florida’s Space Coast.
On Monday, during a 3.5-hour window that begins at 4:35 a.m. EST (0935 GMT), a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites, including 12 with direct-to-smartphone capability, is set to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
About five minutes prior to launch, SpaceX will start webcasting the launch live through X.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 will land on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean around eight minutes after liftoff, providing everything goes as planned.
According to a SpaceX mission description, it will be the booster’s thirteenth launch and landing. To date, Starlink missions have accounted for six of its twelve flights.
About 65 minutes after liftoff, the top stage of the Falcon 9 will proceed to transport the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, where they will be deployed.
With over 6,600 operational spacecraft, Starlink is the largest satellite constellation ever constructed, according to astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
And as the scheduled mission on Monday morning demonstrates, the megaconstellation is constantly expanding. Almost 70% of SpaceX’s 115 Falcon 9 missions to date in 2024 have been Starlink trips.
