SpaceX's next batch of Starlink satellites is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early on Wednesday, Dec. 28, so it is business as usual for the company.
The Space Launch Delta 45 weather squadron predicted that the two-hour window beginning at 4:30 AM will be ideal for the liftoff attempt.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew5 Dragon spacecraft lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 5, 2022. - The crew begins a six-month expedition on the International Space Station.
Related Story: SpaceX May Begin Launching Next-Gen Starlink Satellites this December
Upcoming Starlink Launch
Cape Canaveral and the adjacent Kennedy Space Center continue to host most launches.
Out of a total of 57 rocket flights on the Space Coast in 2022, SpaceX's launch on Wednesday morning would be the 46th for the company, Orlando Sentinel reported.
The remaining 11 were accomplished by the Space Launch System launch of NASA's Artemis I on Nov. 16, six United Launch Alliance Atlas V flights, and two launches by the smaller rocket firm Astra Space.
While most of SpaceX's rockets have been carrying Starlink satellites, the company sent humans into space on three separate occasions in 2022.
It happened twice for NASA on crew-rotation missions and once for private company Axiom Space, which sent up three civilians and a former NASA astronaut for a two-week stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
At least four further SpaceX human missions are scheduled for 2023.
Prior to Wednesday's flight, SpaceX had successfully launched its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets 196 times since 2010. This included 157 landings of first-stage boosters and 131 reuses.
Starlink Launch Rate
Orlando Sentinel confirmed that SpaceX has not officially announced the attempt on its website. Nevertheless, if successful, it will be the 68th Starlink launch since the internet satellites went live in 2019.
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell has studied the launch numbers. He found that SpaceX has launched almost 3,600 of a total of 4,408 of the 570-pound (259 kg) satellites.
As of December, the firm claimed that more than 1 million people were using the program.
It will be the 60th time that Elon Musk's company has launched from one of its three facilities in Florida or California. From California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, a 61st launch is possible before the year's end.
According to reports, Elon Musk said earlier this year that SpaceX might have as many as 100 launches by 2023, almost quadrupling the company's previous record of 31 flights in 2021.
The company's flagship Falcon 9 rocket has been used for all but one of 2022's launches.
This autumn marked the fourth time the company's Falcon Heavy rocket ascended to the skies. However, SpaceX's Starship with Super Heavy may be added to the manifest for the following year to achieve orbit from the Boca Chica, Texas launch site.
