SpaceX is scheduled to launch its latest round of Starlink satellites into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, lifting off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The window for liftoff is slated to open at 10:08 a.m., EST, with 13 of the satellites equipped with direct-to-cell capabilities. The launch window will remain open for 3½ hours.
SpaceX said a backup launch opportunity will be available starting at 1:45 p.m., EST. If the mission is scrubbed, SpaceX will try again at 9:32 a.m., EST, on Tuesday.
The flight will mark the 15th time the current first stage booster has lifted a mission into space. It has previously launched eight other Starlink missions before returning safely back to Earth. The first stage is expected to land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Kennedy Space Center said the Banana Creek launch viewing area, some 6.2 miles away from the launching pad, will be open for viewing, via bus on a first-come, first-serve basis. It said launch commentary, audio, and video will be available.
The Starlink satellite constellation is being created by SpaceX to provide Internet service globally, regardless of how distant it is from major population centers, giving access to previously remote parts of the oceans and land with few inhabitants.