SpaceX is gearing up for yet another Starlink mission — and you can watch it live today.
Thanks to an abundance of livestream cameras showing everything from launch to landing, as well as satellite deployment and possibly the capture of the rocket’s two nose cone pieces, the missions are always good entertainment while at the same time highlighting just how far SpaceX has come in its 18-year history.
The mission will see SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket deploy another batch of 60 Starlink satellites as part of the company’s plan to provide reliable broadband internet services from space, including for communities in remote areas who currently have no access to such facilities.
Following deployment, SpaceX will have around 800 Starlink satellites in orbit, enough for it to ramp up testing of its proposed internet service. SpaceX said earlier this month that recent trials showed the system is currently capable of download speeds of “greater than 100 megabytes per second — fast enough to stream multiple HD movies at once and still have bandwidth to spare.”
California-based SpaceX put its first batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit in May 2019, but astronomers were quick to voice concerns that the satellites’ tendency to reflect the sun interfered with the stargazing community’s ability to carry out its work. As a result, recent launches have seen the satellites fitted with visors designed to reduce the brightness of the reflection.
The launch has been delayed several times, most recently due to bad weather in the area where the first-stage booster was set to land, and before that a “recovery issue.”
How to watch the SpaceX Starlink launch live
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will depart Cape Canaveral when conditions permit. Two planned launches in September have already been scrubbed due to poor weather.
A video at the top of this page should go live shortly before launch. Alternatively, the same livestream can be viewed at SpaceX’s YouTube channel.
Enjoy the awesome spectacle of rocket launches? Then be sure to check out all of the amazing missions that took place around the world over the summer.
