SpaceX to launch 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Caneveral
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Jan. 27 (UPI) — SpaceX is preparing to send its next round of Starlink satellites into lower Earth orbit with a launch scheduled for Monday afternoon at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, officials said.
The Space Force 45th Weather Squadron said there will be a 95% chance of liftoff based on weather conditions, with little chance of cumulus clouds in the region.
It marks SpaceX’s 12th mission of the year, expected to take off at 3:22 p.m., EST, with a launch window that will extend through 6:21 p.m. SpaceX announced an additional launch opportunity for Tuesday at 2:50 p.m. if Monday’s mission is scrubbed.
The payload includes 21 Starlink satellites, 13 of them with “direct-to-cell” capabilities. The payload will be carried into space on a Falcon 9 rocket. The first stage of the rocket will be making its 20th launch.
The first stage is expected to autonomously return to Earth and land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean roughly eight minutes after launch.
Once it separates from the second stage, the first stage will perform what is called a flip maneuver that will send it back to Earth, followed by two engine burns, the last slowing it down so it can make a soft landing on the drone ship.
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