SpaceX plans to launch its 90th Falcon 9 rocket of the year on Tuesday. The launch will take place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and is important as it occurs just before the company’s first quarterly earnings call as a publicly traded organisation.
The Starlink 17-53 mission aims to send 24 broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit. This will expand SpaceX’s network, which already has over 10,800 satellites.
The rocket is set to lift off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 10:05 a.m. PDT (1:05 p.m. EDT / 1705 UTC). After launch, the rocket will follow a south-southwest path into the sky.
Live coverage of the launch will begin about 30 minutes before takeoff. SpaceX will use the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1063 for this mission. This is its 34th flight, having completed missions for various organisations, including NASA and the European Space Agency.
Around 8.5 minutes after launch, the B1063 booster will attempt to land on the droneship named Of Course I Still Love You, located in the Pacific Ocean. If successful, this will mark the 215th landing on this ship.
The earnings call is set for 4 p.m. EDT (2000 UTC) and will provide the first financial update for the company. This comes as SpaceX prepares for its upcoming missions, including the Flight 14 of its Starship rocket and the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in August.
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