After two scrubs, SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-44 mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center Friday night. The payload was another tranche of 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites for the company’s burgeoning LEO-based satellite Internet service.

Third Time The Charm

Wednesday evening, the launch was delayed for reasons that the company did not disclose. Thursday night, with slightly more than two minutes left on the countdown clock, a mechanical issue to the rocket’s cradle — its transporter-erector — forced another cancelation. Friday, repairs were made and SpaceX tried again. This time, no issues arose and Falcon flew into partly cloudy skies and made its way to orbit successfully.

Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A happened at 8:21 PM ET. Approximately 8.5 minutes after its launch, Booster B1062 landed safely on the automated spaceport droneship (ASDS) ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ near the Bahamas, completing its mission for the evening. That flight was the booster’s 19th, tying it with two other SpaceX boosters — B1058 and B1061 — as the most reused rockets in the company’s inventory.

Seventh Inning Stretch: A Rocket Launch

While the launch was visible to observers in Brevard County, they weren’t the only people who got to enjoy seeing the rocket heading to space.

Due to the southeasterly trajectory of Falcon 9 last night, fans and players at the New York Mets – Washington Nationals spring training game in Port St. Lucie enjoyed a long view of Falcon 9’s flight off of the coast as it headed towards orbit. A fan shared an iPhone video of the launch as seen inside Clover Park.

They say that the best camera you own is the one that you have with you. Despite its weaknesses at recording video at night, an iPhone was sufficient to capture the memory of the sight of Falcon 9 over the game. Dozens, if not hundreds of fans did just that.

Booster: B1062

Booster B1062 successfully completed its 19th flight.

B1062 was first used for a GPS launch in 2020, and its last launch was in January of this year when it launched Starlink 6-38. Its most notable missions are Inspiration 4 and Axiom-1, both of which were crewed.

After the landing, ASOG will return to Port Canaveral with the booster. It will then be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility on Roberts Road inside Kennedy Space Center for inspection, refurbishment and possible preparation for its next mission, which will be its 20th.

Flight	Mission	Date
1	GPS III SV04 Sacagawea	11/05/2020
2	GPS III SV05 Neil Armstrong	06/17/2021
3	Inspiration 4	09/16/2021
4	Starlink 4-5	01/06/2022
5	Axiom-1	04/08/2022
6	Starlink 4-16	04/29/2022
7	Nilesat-301	06/08/2022
8	Starlink 4-25	07/24/2022
9	Starlink 4-27	08/19/2022
10	Starlink 4-36	10/20/2022
11	Starlink 5-1	12/28/2022
12	Starlink 5-4	02/12/2023
13	OneWeb 17	03/09/2023
14	ArabSat 7B	05/27/2023
15	Starlink 6-7	07/28/2023
16	Starlink 6-23	10/18/2023
17	Starlink 6-30	11/28/2023
18	Starlink 6-38	01/29/2024
19	Starlink 6-44	03/15/2024

Trajectory

Trajectory was to the southeast.

Next Launch

NET Thursday, March 21, 2024, SpaceX and NASA will send a batch of supplies to the International Space Station aboard a Falcon 9: CRS-30. It is slated to launch from SLC-40 at Space Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:55 PM EDT.*

* Note: launch dates and times change often. Keep up with the latest launch news and times at Talk of Titusville.