April 29 (UPI) — Space X plans to launch another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit late Friday afternoon and will provide a live-stream video of the launch.
Elon Musk’s Space X said in a statement that a Falcon 9 rocket will carry 53 satellites into space by a from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40.
The company said weather conditions look favorable, with an 80% chance of “go” conditions at launch, scheduled for 5:27 pm EDT.
Friday’s launch will be the 44th Starlink mission. Space X now has a constellation of more than 2,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, providing Internet connectivity to hundreds of thousands of users.
An April 21 Space X Starlink launch was delayed for three hours by strong winds.
The company has provided Starlink ground terminals to the Ukrainian government for use during the Russian invasion.
Ukraine minister of digital transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted a thank-you to Musk for a Starlink shipment Ukraine received at the end of February.
“While you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people!” Fedorov wrote.
The Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by Space X. The company says it’s safe transport for people and payloads “into Earth orbit and beyond.”
The reusability, Space X said, allows costs to be driven down by re-using the most expensive parts of the rocket.
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