SpaceX Starlink Launch Today: How To Watch Livestream

Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for yet another launch. Its second Starlink mission of the month is set to blast off soon, further expanding its growing satellite mega constellation.

Initially scheduled for Tuesday at 9:58 p.m. EST, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is now set to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 here at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday at 3:13 a.m. EST, according to an update on its official Twitter account. It will bring 60 new Starlink satellites into orbit, raising the total number of launched satellites to over 1,200.

SpaceX cited its desire to perform more prelaunch checks as the reason for the delay.

Those interested in seeing it happen live can watch the launch on SpaceX's website, this page or the Space.com homepage. The live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes before liftoff.

The upcoming event marks the company's seventh launch of 2021. One more mission that will bring 60 Starlink satellites into orbit is scheduled for March 13.

The booster that is set to do the lifting for the upcoming Starlink mission is B1058, a five-time flier set to make its sixth launch and landing attempt Thursday. The booster made its debut in 2020 when it launched two astronauts to the International Space Station.

Prior to the latest update, forecasters with the U.S. Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron said launch weather appears to be favorable and is not expected to cause issues that may interfere with the liftoff, Space.com reported.

Starlink is a satellite network that SpaceX is currently developing as part of its goal to provide low-cost internet to remote locations around the globe. The initiative was first announced by Musk back in January 2015, with the project well into development six years later.

"We're really talking about something which is, in the long term, like rebuilding the internet in space," Musk said during a speech in Seattle when revealing the project.

Although a noble intention, astronomers and skywatchers alike have raised concerns over SpaceX's goal of eventually launching over 12,000 satellites into orbit. The bright, orbiting mega constellation could interfere with observations of the universe, according to scientists.

SpaceX launched its first two Starlink test craft, named TintinA and TintinB, in 2018, and both launch missions proved successful.