In this file photo from 2019, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX will launch 50 satellites and land the returning extruder today (February 25), and you can watch the event live.
two-stage Falcon 9 Rocket topped off with 50 starlink The spacecraft is scheduled to launch online from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California today at 12:12 p.m. m. EDT (17:12 GMT; 9:12 a.m. local California time). You can watch the live stream here on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, or directly through the company. Coverage will begin 15 minutes before takeoff.
And there will be a lot to see. Approximately nine minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 first stage will return to Earth for a vertical landing on Of Course I Still Love You, a SpaceX drone that will be stationed hundreds of miles off the California coast.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite Launches in Pictures
This will be the fourth landing for this particular booster. The first stage also helped launch NASA and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites Sentinel-6 Earth observation satellite Michael Freilich in November 2020, as well as 60 Starlink satellites in May 2021 and the spacecraft dual for NASA’s asteroid redirection test in November. 2021, SpaceX representatives said.
This will be the fourth landing for this particular booster. The first stage also helped launch NASA and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites Sentinel-6 Earth observation satellite Michael Freilich in November 2020, as well as 60 Starlink satellites in May 2021 and the spacecraft dual for NASA’s asteroid redirection test in November. 2021, SpaceX representatives said.
This reuse is a priority for SpaceX and its founder and CEO, Elon Musk. Musk aims to help humanity colonize Mars, and the billionaire businessman believes fully and quickly reusable rockets are the key breakthrough needed to make that happen.
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Today’s launch is Starlink’s third February mission for SpaceX, following the launch of 49 satellites on February 3 and the launch of 46 satellites on Monday (February 21). Last mission marked 100 Falcon 9 first stage landings during an orbital flight.
The Starlink mission on February 3 was also notable, but for a completely different reason. Shortly after liftoff, a solar flare triggered a geomagnetic storm on Earth, thickening our atmosphere enough to bring down most newly launched satellites by drag SpaceX said it will launch the Starlink spacecraft at slightly higher starting altitudes in the future to protect itself. against such storms.
SpaceX has launched more than 2,000 Starlink satellites so far, and many more are set to go up. The company has permission to launch 12,000 broadband spacecraft and has requested approval to launch up to 30,000 more.