KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — 10:45 p.m. update:
SpaceX said its Starlink launch has been moved back to Tuesday due to weather issues.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions in the recovery area, now targeting Tuesday, January 19 at 8:23 a.m. EST for launch of Starlink
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2021
Original report:
On Monday, SpaceX is set to launch its 17th mission of the constellation of networked satellites known as Starlink.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink-16 is scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39-A at 8:45 a.m.
Targeting Monday, January 18 at 8:45 a.m. EST for Falcon 9 launch of 60 Starlink satellites from LC-39A; Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported seven missions. Team is keeping an eye on launch and recovery weather → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 17, 2021
The goal of Starlink is to create a network that will help provide reliable and affordable internet services across the globe.
Launch viewing opportunities are not available on Monday, due to the launch window being outside normal operating hours of the complex.
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SpaceX successfully launched its first rocket of 2021 from Central Florida’s Space Coast on Jan. 7.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/Vp4t5zLece
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 8, 2021
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 9:15 p.m. and carried a Turkish communications satellite that will provide broadband services over the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
On Wednesday, a SpaceX cargo Dragon capsule full of science experiments splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico west of the Tampa Bay area, according to SpaceX. The capsule undocked from the International Space Station Tuesday morning.
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed, completing SpaceX’s 21st @Space_Station resupply mission and the first return of a cargo resupply spacecraft off the coast of Florida
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 14, 2021
The experiments on board were delivered to the Kennedy Space Center and included 12 bottles of Bordeaux wine and hundreds of snippets of merlot. A company in Luxembourg is using the drinks for agricultural research.
Cox Media Group