SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket early Wednesday morning from Cape Canaveral, marking a record-breaking flight for the first stage booster and kicking off a doubleheader with a satellite launch scheduled for Thursday.
The launch occurred at 5:13 a.m., with great weather conditions allowing for no delays. SpaceX typically aims to start the launch window at its beginning but considers various factors that can impact the timing, including weather conditions and booster landing site location.
As part of the Starlink 6-70 mission, the Falcon 9 rocket carried six satellites into space on a southeast trajectory. The launch was preceded by a series of updates from SpaceX, which included live streams, countdown timelines, and factoids about the rocket’s previous flights.
The first stage booster landed successfully on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship, marking its 24th flight. The booster has previously flown 12 Starlink missions, as well as other notable launches such as CRS-22 and Crew 3.
A second launch is scheduled for Thursday, with a satellite destined for radio service provider Sirius XM set to launch between 11:10 a.m. and 1:10 p.m. SpaceX’s live stream will be available on its website during this time.
Source: https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/spacex/2024/12/03/spacex-falcon9-rocket-launch-from-florida-cape-canaveral-up-early-wednesday-starlink-satellite/76726598007