Watch SpaceX Falcon 9 launch 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on Friday

SpaceX's Starlink constellation in the low-Earth orbit is set to get a boost this Friday, April 12, with the planned launch of 23 satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is scheduled to lift off at 9:22 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

If needed, backup opportunities are available until 12:48 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 13. The launch will air live on X @SpaceX, beginning about five minutes prior to liftoff.

This mission marks the 20th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously supported GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and 12 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Starlink mission launch comes a day after SpaceX launched the USSF-62 mission - the U.S. Space Force's next-generation weather spacecraft - to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This marked SpaceX's 12th National Security Space Launch on a Falcon rocket.