SpaceX Sends 53 Starlinks to Orbit; Static Fires Falcon Heavy for Nov. 1 Launch [VIDEO]
SpaceX successfully launched 53 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit on Thursday evening, from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The launch took place at 6:14 p.m. PT and the first stage Falcon 9 booster successfully landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean. This booster previously supported Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, and five Starlink missions.
This was the 149th landing of an orbital class rocket by SpaceX and the 49th launch of 2022 for the company.
Check out the full Starlink mission replay below:
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has now taken control of Twitter, shared a picture of the Starlink launch as seen from Los Angeles, California, in what appears to be a photo taken from his private jet:
Falcon rockets to orbit as seen from LA pic.twitter.com/r8L2SbLC3p
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2022
SpaceX also confirmed on Thursday the static fire of Falcon Heavy. The launch date has been revised from October 31 to now a target of Tuesday, November 1. Falcon Heavy will launch the USSF-44 mission from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, its first launch since 2019.
Check out the replay of the Falcon Heavy Static Fire from NASA Spaceflight below: