SpaceX is set to return to space just four days after a historic launch that sent two astronauts up to the International Space State from American soil for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral this afternoon at 5:55 p.m. PST, this time carrying a package of broadband internet satellites. The 60 Starlink satellites are part of a growing array of more than 400 satellites that are meant to provide a low-cost global broadband network. The array of satellites is expected to eventually include thousands of small satellites.
The latest satellite launch was originally scheduled for May, but was postponed at the time due to inclement weather. SpaceX pushed the launch window to June so it could focus on last week's historic launch of two astronauts. Last Saturday's launch was the first by a private company to take astronauts into space and it was the first time American astronauts had been launched from American soil since the space shuttle was retired in 2011.
SpaceX plans to recover the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage by landing it on a barge floating in the Atlantic ocean. The first stage of the rocket that will be used today, has been used four times in previous SpaceX missions.
Photo: Getty Images
Saturday morning's launch marked the first manned space mission from American soil since the space shuttle program was retired in 2011. SpaceX also became the first private company to conduct such a launch.
Following Wednesday night's planned satellite launch, SpaceX will again attempt to recover the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage by landing it on a barge floating in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first stage of the rocket has been used in four previous SpaceX missions, highlighting the company's efforts to reuse rocket parts to save money on subsequent flights.
Photo: Getty Images