Photos: Falcon takes flight

This mission follows a similar model of processing used during the Rapid Response Trailblazer (RRT-1) mission, which saw the launch of the GPS 3 Space Vehicle 07 (SV-07) spacecraft on a Falcon 9 instead of a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket as originally planned.

The Air Force’s miniature space shuttle and its ride to orbit have been joined together inside an assembly building at Cape Canaveral in preparation for launch May 20.

The ability to launch 29 Starlink V2 Mini satellites comes from a shift by SpaceX to an “optimized” version of the spacecraft introduced in 2024. Liftoff from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is targeting 4:54 a.m. EDT (0854 UTC).