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SpaceX sends 20 more Starlink satellites soaring on Tuesday including 13 Direct to Cell capabilities

Photo captured on Tuesday, May 14, by Satnews from SpaceX video stream.

On Tuesday, May 14 at 11:39 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 20 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on the company’s 50th orbital mission of 2024.

Photo captured on Tuesday, May 14, by Satnews from SpaceX video stream.

This was the 18th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, and now 13 Starlink missions.

SpaceX Tuesday Starlink satellite launch includes 13 Direct to Cell

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2024-05-12-at-5.53.57-PM.png

Photo captured on Sunday, May 12, by Satnews from SpaceX video stream.

SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, May 14 for a Falcon 9 launch of 20 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 9:29 a.m. PT, with backup opportunities available until 1:29 p.m. PT. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Wednesday, May 15 starting at 9:06 a.m. PT.

A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about five minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.

This is the 18th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, DART, Transporter-7, Iridium OneWeb, SDA-0B, and 12 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.S

The forecast calls for a temperature of 53°F, broken clouds, 74% cloud cover and a wind speed of 8mph.