SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station about 20 minutes before sunrise on Thursday morning, News.Az reports, citing SpaceFlight Now.
The early morning lighting illuminated the rocket’s exhaust plume, creating a dramatic “jellyfish effect” visible to observers along the US East Coast.
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The Starlink 10-31 mission deployed 29 additional broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit, further expanding the Starlink constellation, which now consists of more than 10,000 spacecraft. This launch marked the 46th mission in support of SpaceX’s Starlink programme.
Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 6:04 a.m. EDT (1004 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket followed a north-easterly flight path after launch.
According to the 45th Weather Squadron, conditions at liftoff were 90% favourable. Meteorologists noted a small possibility of interference from cumulus cloud development, but overall conditions were expected to remain suitable for launch.
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