Live coverage: SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites

A Russian-built Soyuz rocket lifted off from South America at 0848 GMT (4:48 a.m. EDT) Tuesday with two new navigation satellites for Europe’s Galileo system, readying the network for initial operating capability later this year.

After a lull in launch activity this fall, SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral are preparing for up to four Falcon 9 missions in December to close out 2019 with a surge of launches.

This will be the fastest turnaround for the Starship program as SpaceX works towards what needs to become a weekly launch cadence for NASA’s Artemis program. Liftoff is set for no earlier than 4 p.m. CST (5 p.m. EST, 2200 UTC) on Nov. 18.