Tomorrow, Sunday, January 29, SpaceX will launch a further batch of Starlink satellites. The launch will use one of the company’s Falcon 9 rockets, lifting off at 8:47 a.m. PT from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. As is typical for SpaceX the rocket will be re-using a booster that has flown on several previous missions.
The launch of the Starlink satellites will be livestreamed by SpaceX, so if you have a hankering to watch a launch as it happens then we have the details you need on how to watch below.
What to expect from the launch
The Falcon 9 rocket will be carrying a batch of 49 Starlink satellites into orbit, as well as a ride-share payload called the ION SCV009 Eclectic Elena from a space logistics company called D-Orbit. The ION is a satellite platform designed to hold several small CubeSats, and can release each small satellite individually.
The booster which will be used for the launch has flown on previous missions including the NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, and SWOT launches, as well as two previous Starlink missions according to SpaceX. SWOT, or Surface Water and Ocean Topography, is a NASA satellite that was launched in December last year and which aims to observe freshwater systems across the planet from space.
Tomorrow’s launch will see the booster once more returning to Earth to be caught by the droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
How to watch the launch
The launch will be livestreamed by SpaceX, which will include showing the final preparations before launch, liftoff, the separation of the first stage and fairing, and notification of payload deployment. It will also show the exciting catching of the first stage booster on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
The livestream is scheduled to begin around five minutes before liftoff, so that’s just before 8:40 a.m. PT (11:40 a.m. ET) on Sunday, January 29. You can watch the livestream either by using the video embedded at the top of this page or by heading to SpaceX’s YouTube page for the event.
