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CAP CANAVERAL, Fla .– SpaceX will launch its next fleet of Starlink satellites into orbit for the company’s high-speed mega-constellation on Wednesday, March 24, and you can watch the pre-dawn liftoff live online.
The Hawthorne, Calif.-Based company loft 60 Starlink Internet satellites on its Falcon 9 workhorse from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Station here in Florida at 4:28 a.m. EDT (8:28 a.m. GMT).
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 launches in photos
Wednesday’s flight, Starlink 22, is the fourth Starlink mission this month and the 23rd overall for booming internet service.
SpaceX’s goal is to provide high-speed Internet access to users around the world through its Starlink mega-constellation. By using a small terminal (no larger than a laptop), ground users will be able to connect to the ever-expanding network.
To date, SpaceX has put more than 1,300 Internet-broadcasting satellites into orbit, with the goal of filling its initial planned constellation of 1,440 spacecraft. SpaceX has already extensively tested the space Internet service and plans to make a full commercial deployment later this year.
Related: SpaceX rocket’s brilliant launch sparks fireball reports
The launch marks the 110th flight of SpaceX’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. The take-off is expected to feature a veteran Falcon 9 first stage, designated B1060, which has five flights to its credit. This frequent traveler previously launched an improved GPS satellite for the US military, a Turkish communications satellite, three previous Starlink missions.
If all goes as planned, about nine minutes after takeoff, the B1060 will land on one of SpaceX’s two drones – “Of course, I still love you.” If successful, it will mark the 78th recovery of a first stage booster since the company landed its first booster in December 2015.
The weather forecast looks good for take-off early Wednesday morning, with forecasters from 45 Weather Squadron predicting a 90% chance of favorable launch conditions. The only problem was the possible development of cumulus clouds.
SpaceX will continue its tradition of salvaging the Falcon 9’s payload fairing, or nose cone, during Wednesday’s flight. The company’s two net-equipped boats – called GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief – take on this task.
In their place, a new boat: the Shelia Bordelon. He will take the mantle and pick up the fairings after they fall back to Earth in two pieces.
Each piece of the shell-shaped gear, which costs around $ 6 million combined, is equipped with software that directs it to the recovery area and a parachute system that allows them to land smoothly in the ocean.
The Shelia Bordelon will be joined by another SpaceX spacecraft, the GO Quest, for its first recovery mission, the Sheila Bordelon using an on-board crane to do all the lifting.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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