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CAP CANAVERAL, Fla .– SpaceX will launch its next batch of Starlink satellites on Sunday, February 28, as part of an effort to further expand the company’s satellite Internet fleet, and you can watch the action live online.
The Hawthorne, Calif., Company plans to fly one of its Falcon 9 rockets for a record-breaking eighth time. The double-decker launcher will take off from NASA’s historic Pad 39A here at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:37 a.m. EST (0137 March 1 GMT) – if all goes according to plan.
You can watch the launch live here and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of SpaceX, starting about 15 minutes before takeoff. You can also watch the launch directly through SpaceX.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega-constellation in photos
SpaceX has already got off to a quick start for this year, as Sunday’s launch will be the sixth of the year for the private spaceflight company. The company relied heavily on its fleet of proven rockets in flight and was thus able to achieve a record of 26 on the ground in 2020.
This year, the company has even bigger ambitions, as it plans to launch 40 rockets between its launch sites in California and Florida.
One of SpaceX’s two drone ships – “Of course I still love you” – is hoping to catch the record booster when it returns to Earth. If successful, the landing will mark the 75th recovery for SpaceX since the company landed its first booster in 2015.
When the company was last launched on February 15, the booster could not land on the drone ship, plunging into the Atlantic instead. Company officials have said that while booster recovery is beneficial, that’s not the primary purpose of the mission – it’s to deliver the payload into space.
This particular flight was delayed for almost a month due to weather and material issues. Named Starlink 17, this flight was overtaken by Starlink 18 and 19 as the boosters for these two flights were ready to fly.
The B1049 is the booster used in today’s mission and is one of two to have flown more than six times. This flight marks the eighth launch of this booster and will connect two more Falcon 9 rockets – called B1049 and B1051 – for most flights to date.
SpaceX said that with improvements to the Falcon 9 in 2018 – a better thermal protection system, improved grille fins and a more durable inter-stage – the rocket can better withstand the stresses of launch. This means he can fly more times with less renovations in between.
The company also said it expects each booster to fly at least 10 times with little or no renovations between flights and up to 100 times before retirement. We could see that 10th theft happen later this year.
The stack of 60 flat-screen Starlink satellites scheduled for launch on Sunday will add to SpaceX’s fleet of more than 1,000 broadband relay satellites already in low Earth orbit. With this new batch, SpaceX will have placed more than 1,200 Starlink satellites in orbit, including prototype satellites that are no longer in service.
The company has launch plans thousands more, although it is close to fulfilling its initial constellation of 1440. As such, SpaceX is moving closer to providing commercial internet service with the Starlink network, with full commercial deployment later this year.
This rollout will come after a massive beta testing program that will include both employees and the public. The “better than nothing“ The beta testing program started in 2029 and has already provided connectivity to thousands of users.
The company is already taking pre-orders for the service, allowing a limited number of users per zone. If interested, potential customers can register through the Company Website.
SpaceX’s dynamic fairing retrofit duo, GO Ms Tree and GO Ms Chief, will remain in port for this mission. In their place, SpaceX has deployed two of its other recovery ships – GO Searcher and GO Navigator – to the planned recovery site.
Both boats, which typically support Dragan missions, are able to pick up fairing parts out of the water. There will be no attempted capture, as Ms Chief and Ms Tree are still in Port Canaveral.
Forecasters from the 45th Weather Squadron say launch weather looks promising for a Sunday night takeoff, with a 90% chance favorable weather. The only minor concerns are take-off winds and cumulus clouds.
If necessary, there is a backup attempt on Monday, and the weather will deteriorate slightly to 70%.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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