Name: A SpaceX rocket will launch a Starlink satellite fleet tonight and you can watch it live. Here's how.
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A SpaceX rocket will launch a Starlink satellite fleet tonight and you can watch it live. Here's how.

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Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .Update for March 3: SpaceX is now planning to launch the Starlink 17 mission Thursday, March 4, at 3:24 a.m. ET (0824 GMT). The launch attempt on March 2 was postponed due to bad weather.&nbsp;CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX will launch its next batch of on Tuesday (March 2) as part of an effort to further expand the company's satellite-internet fleet, and you can watch the action live online.&nbsp;The Hawthorne, California-based company is planning to fly one of its for a record-tying eighth time. The two-stage launcher will blast off from NASA's historic Pad 39A here at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:53 p.m. EST (0053 March 3 GMT) — if all goes as planned.&nbsp;A previous launch attempt on Feb. 28 was , and a subsequent attempt on March 1 was delayed due to bad weather.You can and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of SpaceX, beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff. You can also . &nbsp;Related: Join our launch chat! to discuss SpaceX's Starlink launch. Watch with us and let the community know what you're thinking! is already off to a rapid start for this year, as Sunday’s launch will be the sixth of the year for the private spaceflight company. The company has leaned heavily on its fleet of flight-proven rockets, and as such was able to get a in 2020.This year the company has even bigger ambitions, as it is planning to launch 40 rockets between its California and Florida launch sites.&nbsp;One of SpaceX’s two drone ships — "Of Course I Still Love You" — hopes to catch the record-setting booster as it returns to Earth. If successful, the landing will mark the 75th recovery for SpaceX since the company landed its first booster in 2015. &nbsp;On the company's last launch on Feb. 15, , plopping into the Atlantic instead. Company officials have said that while booster recovery is beneficial, it's not the main goal of the mission — that's delivering the payload to space.This particular flight has been delayed for almost a month due to weather and hardware issues. Named Starlink 17, this flight was leapfrogged by Starlink 18 and 19 as the boosters in those two flights were ready to fly.&nbsp;B1049 is the booster used in today's mission and is one of two that has flown more than six times. This flight marks the eighth launch for this booster, and will tie two other Falcon 9 rockets — &nbsp;called B1049 and &nbsp;B1051 — for the most flights to date.&nbsp;SpaceX has said that with the upgrades it gave Falcon 9 back in 2018 — better thermal protection system, upgraded grid fins, and a more durable interstage — the rocket can hold up better to the stresses of launch. This means it can fly more times with fewer refurbishments in between.&nbsp;The company also said that it expected each booster to fly a minimum of 10 times with little-to-not refurbishments between flights and as many as 100 times before retirement. We could see that 10th flight happen later this year.&nbsp;The stack of 60 flat-panel Starlink satellites set for launch Sunday will add to SpaceX’s fleet of more than 1,000 broadband relay satellites already in low Earth orbit. With this newest batch, SpaceX will have placed more than 1,200 Starlink satellites in orbit, including prototypes of the satellites that are no longer in service.The company has plans of launching thousands more, although it is getting close to filling its initial constellation of 1,440. As such, SpaceX is moving closer to providing commercial internet service with the Starlink network, with a full commercial rollout later this year.&nbsp;That roll out will come after an extensive beta testing program that included both employees and the public. The "" beta testing program kicked off in 2029 and has already provided thousands of users connectivity.&nbsp;The company is already taking preorders for the service, allowing a limited number of users per area. If interested, potential customers can sign up via the .&nbsp;SpaceX's dynamic fairing-catching duo, GO Ms Tree and GO Ms Chief will remain in the port for this mission. In their place, SpaceX has deployed two of its other recovery vessels — GO Searcher and GO Navigator — to the planned recovery site.&nbsp;The two boats, which typically support Dragan missions, are able to scoop the fairing pieces out of the water. There will be no catch attempt, since Ms Chief and Ms Tree are still in Port Canaveral.&nbsp;Forecasters at the 45th Weather Squadron say that the launch weather looks less than ideal for a Tuesday night liftoff, with a , with the primary concern being cumulus clouds.&nbsp;Editor's note: This article was originally published Feb. 28 and updated to reflect the new launch window after SpaceX delayed the launch to March 2.&nbsp;Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Thank you for signing up to Space. You will receive a verification email shortly.There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.MORE FROM SPACE...12345

Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .Update for March 3: SpaceX is now planning to launch the Starlink 17 mission Thursday, March 4, at 3:24 a.m. ET (0824 GMT). The launch attempt on March 2 was postponed due to bad weather.&nbsp;CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX will launch its next batch of on Tuesday (March 2) as part of an effort to further expand the company's satellite-internet fleet, and you can watch the action live online.&nbsp;The Hawthorne, California-based company is planning to fly one of its for a...

A SpaceX rocket will launch a Starlink satellite fleet tonight and you can watch it live. Here's how.

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