Skip to main content

How to watch Doug and Bob’s SpaceX rocket blast off again on Wednesday

Starlink Mission

The Falcon 9 rocket that blasted SpaceX’s first-ever astronauts into space in May 2019 is about to lift off the launch pad again.

Recommended Videos

This time, however, the rocket will be carrying not humans but 60 Starlink internet satellites for deployment in low-Earth orbit.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The launch will take place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, April 7.

“The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting this mission previously supported the launch of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station,” SpaceX said in a message about the upcoming launch. The same booster also launched the ANASIS-II, CRS-21, and Transporter-1 missions, as well as two previous Starlink missions.

What to expect

First up, you’ll get to enjoy the spectacular launch. After that, look out for live footage showing the separation of the Falcon 9 rocket’s first and second stages. A short while later, you’ll get to see the first-stage booster land upright on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship waiting in the Atlantic Ocean. You’ll also get to see the 60 Starlink satellites drifting into orbit, and possible coverage of the capture of the rocket fairing parts in giant nets mounted on ships.

Wednesday’s launch will see SpaceX’s Starlink constellation grow to around 1,400 satellites following a string of deployments since the first one in 2019. The commercial space company led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is making progress with its broadband-from-space service, with a growing beta service already in operation in several countries around the world. The more satellites it deploys, the broader the coverage, though SpaceX is particularly interested in serving locations where internet access has been unreliable or unavailable.

How to watch

The launch is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 7 at 12:34 p.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Thursday, April 8 at 12:12 p.m. ET.

You can watch the event by hitting the play button on the video player embedded at the top of this page. Alternatively, the same livestream can be viewed on SpaceX’s YouTube channel.

To confirm the launch time and keep up with any developing situations, be sure to check SpaceX’s Twitter account. We’ll also include any updates here just as soon as we can.

In the meantime, take a moment to check out this compilation of all of the launches that took place last summer involving a range of rockets from around the world.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
How to watch SpaceX’s sixth test flight of Starship megarocket
The Starship spacecraft during an engine test.

SpaceX is making final preparations for the sixth test flight of its mighty Starship rocket featuring the most Super Heavy, the most powerful booster ever to fly.

The Elon Musk-led spaceflight company is targeting Tuesday, November 19, for the sixth test of the 120-meter-tall rocket.

Read more
SpaceX shares photos of Starship ahead of sixth flight on Tuesday
SpaceX's Starship ahead of its sixth test flight.

SpaceX is just a couple of days away from sending its enormous Starship rocket on its sixth test flight from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The mission had originally targeted Monday, November 18, for the launch of the vehicle -- comprising the main-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft -- but on Friday, SpaceX pushed the launch to Tuesday, November 19. Here's how to watch a livestream of the mission.

Read more
See SpaceX’s mighty Starship on the launchpad ahead of sixth test flight
spacex starship on pad sixth test flight gcnypiwa4aaqgll 75

As SpaceX gears up for the sixth test flight of its mighty Starship, the company has shared images of the rocket out on the launchpad at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The images capture the striking view of the almost 400-foot-tall rocket, with the 165-foot-tall upper stage mounted on top of the Super Heavy booster.

The test flight is scheduled for Monday, November 18, with the aim being to test new facilities such as burning one of the Raptor engines on the upper stage while in space to test future abilities to perform a deorbit burn. The company will also be hoping to once again catch the incoming booster for reuse using the giant "chopsticks" at its pad, as it previously did for the first time during the fifth test flight of the Starship in October.

Read more