Boeing's Starliner spacecraft aimed to carry NASA astronauts on a mission to the International Space Station, marking the first crewed flight for both Boeing and NASA since 2011.
Boeing was preparing for its own historic launch at Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
SpaceX successfully launched 23 Starlink satellites on May 6, 2024 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's pad 40.
The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage had previously flown a total of 15 times and landed on SpaceX's drone ship 'Just Read the Instructions'.
SpaceX kicked off a busy week for Florida's Space Coast with the successful launch of 23 Starlink satellites on May 6, 2024. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's pad 40 at exactly 18:14 UTC, marking the first of two missions scheduled for the week.
The Falcon 9 first stage assigned to this mission had previously flown a total of 15 times, most recently on April 5 for the Starlink mission. It made its way back to Earth eight and a half minutes into the flight, landing on SpaceX's drone ship 'Just Read the Instructions' in the Atlantic Ocean.
Meanwhile, Boeing was preparing for its own historic launch at Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A. The company's Starliner spacecraft was set to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a mission to the International Space Station, marking the first crewed flight for both Boeing and NASA since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.
SpaceX's Starlink constellation now consists of over 5,800 functional satellites in low Earth orbit. The company aims to expand this network further to provide global broadband coverage.
The successful launch marked the beginning of an exciting week for space enthusiasts and industry professionals alike. Stay tuned for more updates on these missions and other developments in the world of space exploration.
A Falcon 9 rocket will launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday.
The Falcon 9 first stage assigned to the Starlink mission has flown previously 15 times. It most recently flew on Apr. 5 for the Starlink 6-47 mission.
