After five days of weather delays, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Sunday night, putting 54 more Starlink satellites in orbit as it pushes to complete more than 60 missions this year.
SpaceX’s Starlink 4-34 mission was launched at 00:18:40 on Monday (00:18:40 EDT Sunday) by a 229-foot (60-meter) tall Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 launched from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, propelled by nine kerosene-fueled Merlin 1D engines that fired into the night sky as it flew northeast.
The upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket launched 54 Starlink satellites over the North Atlantic Ocean about 15 minutes after liftoff, moving at a speed of around 17,000 mph. The payload mass of the satellites was around 16.7 metric tons, or 36,800 pounds.
This launch was SpaceX’s 42nd Falcon 9 launch this year. Astra, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance have all attempted launches from Florida’s Space Coast this year, totaling 40 attempts altogether.
The third of up to five Falcon 9 launches scheduled for SpaceX this month was the Starlink 4-34 mission.
