Live coverage: Falcon 9 disintegrates after launch

If confirmed, Isaacman, 41, would be the fifth NASA administrator with spaceflight experience, replacing former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who flew into orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia in early 1986.

The Starlink 15-6 mission will add another 26 satellites into SpaceX’s low Earth orbit constellation. Liftoff occurred from pad 4E at 6:54 p.m. PDT (9:54 p.m. EDT, 0154 UTC).

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.