For the second time in 11 days, Hawthorne-based SpaceX will attempt Saturday morning to launch another batch of broadband internet satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral.
The launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 58 Starlink satellites is scheduled for 2:21 a.m. California time.
The mission will be the ninth SpaceX launch as part of the Starlink project, which is Elon Musk’s planned worldwide broadband service, designed to offer low-cost global internet access. There are already nearly 500 Starlink satellites in orbit, with hundreds more planned.
SpaceX launched the last batch of Starlink satellites on June 3, also from Cape Canaveral.
After launch, SpaceX will again attempt to recover the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket for reuse in future missions by landing it on a barge, named “Of Course I Still Love You,” floating in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first stage of the rocket was previously used in two SpaceX mission to send supplies to the International Space Station.
Also aboard the rocket Saturday will be three Earth-imaging satellites operated by a company named Planet. Those satellites are included in the launch under a “rideshare program.” The three Planet SkySat satellites will be deployed about 12 minutes after launch, while the Starlink satellites will be deployed 26 minutes after launch.
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