May 8 (UPI) — SpaceX on Wednesday launched 23 Starlink satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Florida. A second launch is set for Wednesday evening in California.
The Florida liftoff of 23 of the satellites had been pushed back to 2:42 p.m. from its originally scheduled lift-off of 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday. It was live-streamed.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the California launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base of 20 more Starlink satellites was still set for 10:48 p.m. EDT, with backups until 1:30 a.m. if needed.
The company’s Falcon 9 rocket sent the 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Florida. It was the third flight for the first-stage booster supporting the mission. It was used previously to launch Crew-8 and another Starlink mission.
That booster landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
The planned California lift-off Wednesday evening Pacific Time will propel 20 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. According to SpaceX, 13 of them will have Direct To Cell capabilities.
The booster used in the California mission will be its fourth flight. It previously launched USSF-62 and two Starlink missions.
When that booster stage separates from the rocket it will land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
The two planned Wednesday launches follow a Monday launch of 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
That one was delayed from the originally planned 12:36 p.m. to 2:14 p.m. and no explanation for the delay was given. The first stage booster used Monday was on its 15th flight.
SpaceX re-uses first-stage boosters to cut costs.
