BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – SpaceX launched another round of its Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Friday, just days after the Crew-4 heads to the International Space Station.
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The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 5:27 p.m.
SpaceX’s Starlink missions will eventually create a vast satellite constellation that will provide internet access to all parts of the globe.
At the same time, the astronauts of the Crew-3 mission are getting ready to return to Earth.
Crew-3 consists of three NASA astronauts — mission commander Raja Chari, pilot Thomas Marshburn and mission specialist Kayla Barron — and European Space Agency (ESA) mission specialist Matthias Maurer, of Germany. They have lived on board the I.S.S. for the past six months since docking there in November.
They are set to undock from the I.S.S. on Tuesday with a splashdown off of Florida’s coast planned for Wednesday.