A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is poised to match its own record with a 22nd launch tonight, August 11. The mission, known as the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), is scheduled for liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:02 p.m. EDT (7:02 p.m. PDT, 02:02 GMT on August 12).
The launch will be broadcast live on SpaceX’s X account, starting approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled liftoff.
If successful, the Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth roughly 8.5 minutes after launch, touching down on SpaceX’s drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, located in the Pacific Ocean.
This particular Falcon 9 booster will tie the company’s record for rocket reuse, which was set in June during a launch of Starlink satellites. Following the initial stage separation, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 will continue to deploy the ASBM satellites into orbit, with the first satellite being released 42.5 minutes after liftoff and the second satellite following five minutes later.
