Watch the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch the EchoStar 23 satellite

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launch April 17 from Virginia’s Eastern Shore marked the start of the 11th Cygnus resupply mission to the International Space Station.

The milestone comes as a result of the 34th dedicated Starlink launch of the year for SpaceX. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 8:53 p.m. EDT (0053 UTC).

For the third time in three weeks, SpaceX is preparing to launch a batch of satellites for the company’s Starlink Internet network from Florida’s Space Coast. Liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket is set for Thursday afternoon from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, weather permitting.