CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The latest SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to take off from Florida launched Saturday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying a batch of 53 Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit.
According to the 45th Weather Squadron’s May 13 report, weather conditions at launch time, 4:40 p.m., were considered 80% favorable.
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B1073, the booster used in Saturday’s launch, made its first-ever flight, and its first attempt to land on an autonomous drone ship in the Bahamas, according to Next Spaceflight.
The rocket’s trajectory took it southeast. Viewing conditions depended on the weather of course, but the launch was expected to be visible throughout Central and southeast Florida.
For the future, if you’d like to see and feel a launch up close, a popular spot to set up for launch viewing is Space View Park, located in Titusville around 15 miles away from most launchpads. Opportunities also exist to see the launch from less than seven miles away, offered at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.