The mission came as SpaceX is preparing to launch a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station later this week. Liftoff of the Starlink 7-16 mission happened at 7:28 p.m. PT (10:28 p.m. ET, 0228 UTC).
The Federal Aviation Administration released the launch license modification allowing the mission to move forward on Wednesday afternoon. Starship launched at 8:25 a.m. CT (9:25 a.m. ET, 1325 UTC).
The mission will the third launch for Rocket Lab this year and the fourth to date as part of a multi-launch contract with Synspective. Liftoff from Rocket Lab Launch Complex-1 in Mahia, New Zealand is set for 4:03 a.m. NZDT on March 13 (11:03 a.m. EDT, 1503 UTC on March 12).
This mission was the second of two Falcon 9 flights on Sunday night. Liftoff from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred at 9:09 p.m. PDT (12:09 a.m. EDT, 0409 UTC).
The Sunday evening launch was the first of two in a period of just over five hours. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took place at 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 UTC).
The launch came on the heels of the Crew-8 mission sending three astronauts and a cosmonaut on their way to the International Space Station. Liftoff took place on Monday, March 4, at 6:56 p.m. EST (2356 UTC).
The mission carried 53 payloads from dozens of companies, universities and government agencies. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base took place on Monday, March 4, at 2:05 p.m. PST (5:05 p.m. EST, 2205 UTC).
The mission to the orbiting outpost featured three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut who will spend roughly 180 days on the space station. Liftoff occurred at 10:53 p.m. EST (0353 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The Starlink 6-40 mission marked a rare Leap Day launch from the Cape. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket occurred at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.