A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket punched through clouds hovering over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Saturday, kicking off Memorial Day weekend in classic Space Coast fashion. At 12:30 a.m. EDT, the 230-foot rocket took flight from Launch Complex 40 with a commercial communications satellite for Arabsat, a Saudi Arabia-based operator. Saturday's launch marked the 26th of the year for the Space Coast. SpaceX has not yet confirmed an exact time, but the rocket is expected to fly from Launch Complex 40 sometime between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. EDT. That mission will take the next batch of Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit and will include a drone ship landing in the Atlantic.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 27, 2023 17:52 UTC