SpaceX launching 20 Starlink satellites from California early Nov. 18

SpaceX is set to launch 20 more of its Starlink internet satellites from California early Monday morning (Nov. 18).

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base during a four-hour window that opens at 12:47 a.m. EST (0447 GMT; 9:47 p.m. local California time on Nov. 13).

SpaceX will livestream the action via its X account, beginning about five minutes before liftoff.

If all goes according to plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth for a vertical touchdown about eight minutes after liftoff, landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean.

It will be the 20th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Twelve of its 19 flights to date have been Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9’s upper stage will continue hauling the Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), where they will be deployed about 62 minutes after liftoff.

SpaceX has launched more than 100 Falcon 9 missions in 2024, about two-thirds of them devoted to building out the Starlink network.

The megaconstellation currently consists of more than 6,600 active spacecraft, according to satellite tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, 283 of which are direct-to-cell capable.

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, “Out There,” was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.