SpaceX to launch new batch of Starlink satellites on Jan 19; here's how to watch live

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX is set to launch another batch of 49 satellites on January 19 to expand its internet-providing Starlink constellation. The launch will take place at NASA's Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:34 am (IST) aboard the Falcon 9 rocket which will make its third flight of 2022. Previously, SpaceX has launched the Falcon 9 on two other instances, one for Starlink and the other for Transporter-3 on January 7 and January 13 respectively. 

In a Twitter post, SpaceX revealed that the launch will now take place on early January 19, as per Indian standards, as it is waiting for the weather to turn favourable. "With more favorable weather conditions for liftoff and booster recovery, now targeting Tuesday, January 18 at 7:04 p.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of Starlink satellites," SpaceX wrote in its post. The launch, which was earlier slated for January 18 was scrubbed due to bad weather conditions at the launch site and the booster landing site in the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the US space force, in its latest weather update revealed that the weather will be 95% favourable at the time of launch, Space.com reported. 

If successful, the upcoming mission will mark SpaceX's second Starlink launch of 2022 and the 36th overall dedicated one for Starlink since 2019. With the 35th launch, the total of satellites currently in the low-Earth orbit (LEO) had reached 2,000, which is just half of the number of satellites planned for the first constellation. The company is now launching new and improved satellites which have been designed for laser communications so that they could communicate better with each other. Company CEO Musk had informed via Twitter that currently there are 1469 active Starlink satellites and their laser links will soon be activated.  

The company is celebrating its latest launch under the Transporter-3 mission wherein it installed 105 small satellites into orbit. With a successful launch, the Falcon 9 booster used here completed its 10th overall mission ever since the SpaceX Demo-2 mission in 2020. 

When and where to watch the launch live?

SpaceX will broadcast the launch live on its official website starting 15 minutes before the liftoff. Interested viewers can also tune in to the company's official YouTube channel or Twitter handle before Falcon 9 launches at 5:34 am.

Image: Twitter/@SpaceX