SpaceX is planning to launch two experimental internet satellites, and a Spanish government imaging and radar satellite called “Paz,” on Thursday morning at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base after a five-day delay. The aerospace company is delivering the payload into orbit using a Falcon 9 rocket, which contains parts recycled from last August’s FORMOSTAT-5 mission in Taiwan. The internet satellites are part of a small-scale test for SpaceX’s global broadband service that could eventually service billions of people worldwide and generate revenue for CEO Elon Musk’s plan to fund a city on Mars. SpaceX plans to eventually launch a constellation of more than 4,000 satellites by 2024.
You can watch a live stream of the launch, which is scheduled for 9:14 a.m. EST on Thursday, here:
Update, Feb. 22, 9:30 a.m.: The Falcon 9 rocket launched on Thursday morning and appeared to deliver the payload successfully.
