Live coverage: SpaceX supply ship returns to Earth

The launch of the SES O3b mPOWER satellites a day after the Transporter-9 rideshare mission from California. The Boeing-built O3b mPOWER 5&6 satellites launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the start of the 89-minute window that opened at 4:08 p.m. EST (2108 UTC).

The Starlink 17-36 mission was SpaceX’s 51st Falcon 9 launch of 2026. Liftoff from pad 4E happened at 7:42:49 pm PDT (10:42:49 pm EDT / 0242:49 UTC).

In this time-lapse video, the Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon atop rolls to launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for the first time on January 3. The rocket was then lifted vertical for a series of fit checks and tests.