Source: Visit websiteAfter multiple delays, a SpaceX Falcon 9 sprung off the launch pad and into the bright Florida morning sky Tuesday with the rocket's second stage carrying 23 Starlink satellites into orbit.
As countdown had moved towards what was planned to be a 7:30 a.m. EDT launch on Tuesday, SpaceX announced a launch hold. While SpaceX did not provide a reason, a statement was given on X (formerly Twitter) that the rocket and Starlink satellites were in good condition. The launch hold lasted more than two hours before the countdown resumed towards launch at10:24 a.m. EDT.
Following Tuesday's successful launch, the Falcon 9 rocket landed on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean just under eight and a half minutes after liftoff.
Upon landing, the particular Falcon 9 marked its tenth flight − it's most memorable mission being NASA's Crew 6 in early 2023 .
According to a Geospatial Navigational Warning, SpaceX is targeting between 6:43 p.m. to 11:14 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 31 to launch the next batch of Starlink satellites. This four and a half hour window indicates a Starlink launch. However, SpaceX has yet to confirm this mission or the location of this launch from Florida.
Then on Saturday, June 1, NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance plan to attempt the launch of Starliner's Crewed Flight Test at 12:25 p.m. EDT. This comes after a nearly one-month delay that followed the scrub on May 6 , which was due to an issue with an oxygen valve on the Atlas V rocket's second stage.
During the repairs, Boeing crews discovered a helium leak coming from a thruster in the Starliner service module — which is an expendable bottom to the spacecraft containing thrusters. Crews ensured the helium leak was stable, yet further detected an issue with the redundancy of the system during the deorbit burn phase of the mission − meaning if something fails, crews wanted to ensure that Starliner still would be able to return home safely.
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