SpaceX to launch 53 more Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit Friday

SpaceX is targeting Friday, June 17 for a Falcon 9 launch of a new fleet of Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 53 Starlink satellites will lift off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The instantaneous launch window is at 12:08 p.m. ET, or 16:08 UTC, and a backup opportunity is available on Saturday, June 18 at 11:47 a.m. ET, or 15:47 UTC, the Elon-Mus-owned company said on Thursday.

Live coverage of the Falcon 9 launch will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, and nine Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth and land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Meanwhile, the company has announced the availability of Starlink in North Macedonia. The satellite internet service provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet across the globe, with download speeds between 100 Mb/s and 200 Mb/s and latency as low as 20ms in most locations, the company claims. Devdiscourse