SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket carrying 49 Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX’s 229-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 19, Wednesday, carrying the next batch of 49 Starlink broadband satellites. The aerospace firm’s boss Elon Musk shared the image of the rocket launch shortly after the first stage landed on ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ drone ship north of the Bahamas.

The rocket lifted off as scheduled at 9:02 pm ET [0202:40 GMT] after it completed the first stage separation. SpaceX also successfully recovered the booster engine from a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket launch was delayed earlier by SpaceX from its initial scheduled date of Monday night for better conditions for booster recovery.

The 15-minute launch sequence before deployment of the 49 flat-panel Starlink satellites into orbit was also broadcast LIVE on SpaceX’s online channels. Falcon 9 rocket will deploy the Starlink payloads into an orbit inclined 53.2 degrees to the equator in space. The mission involved releasing the Starlink satellites at T+plus 15 minutes, 32 seconds, into an orbit ranging in altitude between 130 miles and 210 miles (210 by 339 kilometers), according to SpaceX. 

Historic 'rare, southern trajectory' launch of Falcon 9 

This was SpaceX’s third Falcon 9 launch and 36th Starlink launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US. SpaceX’s mission that was named ‘Transporter-3’ was a historic and a rare one as it was a southern trajectory that involved the rocket's 162-foot first stage turn around for a booster landing at Landing Zone 1 on the East coast with sonic booms. 

"Due to the unique southerly trajectories, there will be a larger potential impact to air and sea traffic along the southeast coast of Florida," Maj. Jonathan Szul, Director of Operations at the 1st Range Operations Squadron at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station told Foxweather. "We ask that all pilots and mariners double-check their Notices to Airmen and Notices to Mariners to ensure they are fully aware of all pending launch activities in this historic month on the Space Coast." 

Ahead of the launch, the climate forecasters with the Space Force 45th Weather Squadron in Cape Canaveral advised the liftoff giving a nearly 100% chance of good weather. 

"Skies will continue to be mostly cloud-free and with winds becoming light and variable, making excellent weather conditions for a Tuesday evening launch attempt," the launch forecast stated in broadcasts. Although there were concerns with respect to the wind speed which, at the launch time, was blowing at 5 and 10 mph. Just eight minutes after liftoff, the booster turned and started hurtling towards the Earth and made a successful touchdown on  A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship.