Joining the video podcast on Friday, April 19, in this episode were Marina Koren, staff writer for The Atlantic, and Jack Kuhr, research editor for Payload Space.
The mission comes a day after launching 23 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-52 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 6:40 p.m. EDT (2240 UTC).
With this launch, SpaceX is now one flight shy of tying the total number of Space Shuttle missions from this historic launch pad. This was the 81st flight of a Falcon rocket compared to the 82 total shuttle flights. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-51 mission happened at 5:26 p.m. EDT (2126 UTC).
The USSF-62 mission will feature the first National Security Space Launch mission using flight-proven payload fairings. Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 7:25 a.m. PDT (10:25 a.m. EDT (1425 UTC).
The mission came less than a day after SpaceX announced Albania as the latest country to gain access to the service. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 1:40 a.m. EDT (0540 UTC).
The Bandwagon-1 mission features 11 satellites, which headed up a 45-degree, mid-inclination orbit. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A happened at 7:16 p.m. EDT (2316 UTC).
The Starlink 8-1 mission marked the second declared launch of Starlink satellites featuring the Direct to Cell capability. Liftoff from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened on Saturday, April 6, at 7:25 p.m. PDT (10:25 EDT, 0225 UTC).
The launch came on the heels of a record month for the company, which saw 12 Falcon 9 flights. Liftoff happened at 5:12 a.m. EDT (0912 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40.