Update on February 27 at 12:20 pm ET: SpaceX delayed the launch of Starlink from Vandenberg until Tuesday (Feb. 28) and pushed the Florida liftoff to 6:13 pm EST (2313 GMT) tonight (Feb. 27).
SpaceX plans to launch a new generation of Starlink Internet satellites tonight, which you can watch online for free.
Twenty-one of SpaceX’s new Starlink “V2 mini” satellites launched today, Feb. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off at 6:13 p.m. EST (2313 GMT) on the 27th, about five hours later than originally planned, according to a SpaceX update. . A second Falcon 9 was the first of two scheduled to launch within two hours of launching an older version of the Starling from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California this afternoon, but that flight was delayed by bad weather.
You can watch the missions live on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, or live here through the company (opens in new tab).
Related: 10 Weird Things About SpaceX’s Starlink Internet Satellites
As usual, the Falcon 9 first stages will come back down to Earth about 8.5 minutes after each launch to make landing attempts. These will be the third and 12th launches, respectively, for the boosters flying today, with the eventual launch of the Vandenberg Falcon 9. Astronaut everyday (opens in new tab).
SpaceX has already launched Almost 4,000 Starlink satellites (opens in new tab) More satellites are on the way for worldwide Internet service: The company has received regulatory approval to launch 12,000 Starlink craft and has applied for approval to deploy nearly 30,000 more satellites.
In December 2022, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved SpaceX to deploy 7,500 Starlink 2.0 satellites into low-Earth orbit — far fewer than the 29,988 Starlink 2.0s that SpaceX applied for in 2020. The FCC granted a limited approval. concerns about orbital debris and space safety,” agency officials said at the time.
“Our action will allow SpaceX to begin deploying Gen2 Starlink, which will bring next-generation satellite broadband to Americans across the country, including those who live and work in areas traditionally underserved or underserved by terrestrial systems,” FCC officials wrote in the December decision order. You can find out Here (opens in new tab). “Our action will enable universal satellite broadband service, helping to close the digital divide globally.”
21 V2 mini Starlink satellites are set to launch Monday, a test suite for SpaceX’s Falcon 9; The full-scale version 2.0 spacecraft is optimized for SpaceX’s largest Starship Mars rocket, which is not yet operational.
According to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, the full-size Starlink 2.0 satellites are bigger and can do more than previous Starlink generations. Each 2.0 spacecraft weighs 1.25 tons (1,130 kilograms) and can transmit service directly to cellphones; SpaceX has already announced intentions to do so in 2023 through a partnership with T-Mobile.
The two Starlink launches scheduled for Monday are to be part of a triple-header, with the Crew-6 astronaut mission for NASA scheduled to launch early Monday. But Crew-6’s scheduled liftoff was scrapped late in the countdown due to a ground-structure problem.
The next possible Crew-6 launch opportunity is Thursday (March 2) at 12:34 pm EST (0534 GMT).
Author’s note: This story was updated at 2 p.m. EST by SpaceX to reflect launch time changes for its two Starlink missions and the Crew-6 space mission.
Elizabeth Howell Co-Editor “Why am I tall? (opens in new tab)?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @HowellSpace (opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) Or Facebook (opens in new tab).
