SpaceX set for Wednesday launch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral

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SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are preparing for the company's next launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday, this time flying the 29th batch of internet satellites for the Starlink constellation.

The 230-foot rocket is poised for liftoff at 2:59 p.m., the opening of an instantaneous window at Launch Complex 40, after what appeared to be a successful test fire of the rocket's main engines Monday evening. SpaceX has not yet confirmed mission details, but filings with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Space Force indicate the company is on track for Wednesday.

On the weather front, the Space Force on Tuesday confirmed that conditions should be 90% favorable for liftoff. Upper-level winds along the flightpath and weather in the drone ship's Atlantic Ocean recovery zone should be favorable, too.

If successful, Wednesday's launch will end with the deployment of 60 flat-packed Starlink satellites about an hour after liftoff. SpaceX has launched nearly 1,700 of the internet-beaming spacecraft to date, all of which are designed and manufactured in Seattle.

The Space Coast's following launch, meanwhile, is tentatively planned for the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 1. If schedules hold, another Falcon 9 will boost a SiriusXM radio satellite to orbit from Launch Complex 40.

Beyond that, four more launches – a mix of SpaceX and United Launch Alliance – are planned through June, though schedules could push some into July.

Launch Wednesday, May 26