A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch for the 21st time tonight (May 17), setting a new reusability record for the company.
The Falcon 9 is slated to lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a three-hour window starting at 8:32 p.m. EDT (0032 GMT on May 18), carrying 23 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites into orbit.
SpaceX will broadcast the launch live on its X account, beginning about five minutes before the launch window opens. If everything goes according to plan, the Falcon 9's first stage will return to Earth approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff, landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
This mission will mark the 21st launch and landing for this particular booster, setting a new record for reusability. This record may soon be tied by other boosters, as two additional Falcon 9 first stages have each flown 20 times.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9's upper stage will continue its mission, deploying the 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit about 65 minutes after liftoff. Tonight's launch will be SpaceX's 51st orbital mission of 2024, as the company aims for approximately 150 launches this year.
Of SpaceX's 50 orbital launches so far in 2024, 35 have been dedicated to expanding the Starlink broadband megaconstellation, which currently comprises over 5,900 operational satellites.
