(Update: Launched) SpaceX stands down from Sunday's Falcon 9 launch of Starlink mission

SpaceX is now targeting Tuesday, January 23 for a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit. The launch was originally scheduled for Friday, January 19, but was deferred twice due to unfavourable weather conditions.

The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink internet satellites will launch at 4:35 p.m. PT from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

This upcoming launch will mark the 16th flight for the reusable Falcon 9 first stage booster. The booster has previously played a crucial role in missions such as Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, and 10 Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

A live webcast of the launch will be available on X@SpaceX, about five minutes proper to lift off. 

Standing down from tonight’s Falcon 9 launch attempt due to weather, now targeting January 23 → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 22, 2024

Through Starlink, SpaceX aims to provide high-speed, low-latency internet coverage to underserved and remote areas around the world.

The Starlink satellite constellation operates in the low Earth orbit (LEO), allowing them to offer faster internet speeds and lower latency compared to traditional satellite systems which orbit much farther from Earth.

Update

Falcon 9 successfully launched the new batch of Starlink satellites to orbit on Tuesday. The first stage landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship.