Updated at 11:15pm EDT (0230 UTC): A Falcon 9 launch will deploy a satellite. The Falcon Heavy static fire has been pushed back to Saturday.
The Falcon 9 rocket launched Friday night on a separate mission to deliver a satellite into orbit for SpaceX’s Starlink internet service. The launch from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took place at 10 p.m. EDT (Sept. 30, 2 a.m. UTC) on September 29, after more than three hours of weather delays.
Falcon 9 rocketed off into cloudy skies from Pad 40, aiming for a southeasterly trajectory from Florida’s Space Coast. Booster 1069, which was on its 10th flight two and a half minutes after stage separation, headed toward the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was anchored approximately 420 miles (675 km) downstream on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean. The plane arched toward the landing. Bahamas. The touchdown came about eight and a half minutes after launch.
This was SpaceX’s 43rd Starlink delivery mission of the year. The 22 so-called V2 Mini satellites were released into orbit one hour and five minutes after liftoff, according to the company’s social media posts.
SpaceX recently announced that it has signed up more than 2 million subscribers to its Starlink internet service in more than 60 countries.
It was a busy day for the SpaceX team on the Florida Space Coast. Early Friday morning, a Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center for NASA’s Psyche launch, currently scheduled for October 12th. Plans to test fire 27 first-stage engines tonight have been postponed to Saturday. Spaceflight Now brings you live coverage of launches and static fires.