Defying threats from a windy weather forecast , SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink satellites — including 13 with direct-to-cell communications capabilities — into low-Earth orbit Friday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Liftoff occurred at 7:31 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40. The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron had only forecast 40% odds of favorable weather during the launch window, citing liftoff winds and a low-to-moderate chance of poor booster recovery weather out in the Atlantic Ocean.
Of note: Friday’s Starlink 8-19 mission was the 71st orbital rocket launch this year from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s neighboring Kennedy Space Center. That’s just one shy of the annual record of 72, which was established just last year…