The next batch of 23 Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s space-based internet service roard into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket launched Sunday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:35 p.m. EST (2235 UTC).
The NROL-167 mission is the fourth launch to add satellites to the National Reconnaissance Office’s so-called “proliferated architecture” constellation. Liftoff happened at 10:13 a.m. PDT (1:13 p.m. EDT, 1713 UTC).
We captured the sights and sounds of SpaceX’s Starbase launch complex in Texas on the eve of the first launch attempt for the fully-stacked Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket on a test flight aiming for near orbital velocity.