SpaceX is set to make history with the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 23 Starlink satellites, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This mission, designated Starlink 6-57, marks the 31st launch of Starlink satellites this year and the 46th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket in 2024.
Falcon 9 First Stage Booster
The Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1069, is making its 15th flight, having previously supported various missions, including cargo delivery missions to the International Space Station, telecommunications satellite launches, and nine Starlink flights. The booster is expected to land on SpaceX’s drone ship, ‘Just Read the Instructions’, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, about eight and a half minutes into the flight.
Starlink Satellite Deployment
The mission aims to add 23 more satellites to SpaceX’s mega constellation, which currently has 5,896 Starlink satellites on orbit, according to astronomer and expert spacecraft tracker Jonathan McDowell. SpaceX has launched 656 Starlink satellites in 2024 over 29 flights.