Live coverage: Falcon 9 disintegrates after launch

The development mission includes fewer additional mission milestones compared to the third flight with a focus on demonstrating the reusability model that Starship promises. Liftoff happened at 7:50 a.m. CDT (8:50 a.m. EDT, 1250 UTC), near the opening of a 120-minute window.

The second set of Iridium’s next-generation satellites to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket were prepared for liftoff inside a climate-controlled clean room at Vandenberg Air Force Base over the last few weeks.

The mission opportunity came as solar activity triggered an alert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a severe geomagnetic storm alert, which could impact the Starlink satellites. The launch teams are now targeting Tuesday, June 3 at 12:29 a.m. EDT (0429 UTC).