UPDATE:
The Falcon 9 Rocket Launch set for 12:19 a.m. was a success.
This marks the 13th successful rocket launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base this year.
ORIGINAL SCRIPT:
A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base early Thursday morning, the company announced on its website.
SpaceX is targeting a 12:19 a.m. launch Thursday morning with a backup opportunity to take place on the same day, June 22, at 11:53 p.m.
The rocket, launching out of Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E), will carry 47 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, part of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet project.
The first-stage booster being used in this launch has been used for three other missions. One for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 launch in early April, a mission on behalf of the Department of Defense that placed 10 satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Those satellites are part of a larger constellation of 28 called the “Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture” which will support various military exercises, according to the Department of Defense website detailing the launch.
Thursday's launch is unrelated to the Defense Department's project.
The first-stage booster will attempt to land on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
A live webcast of the mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff.
There have been 12 successful SpaceX launches out of Vandenberg this year, according to a count by Space Launch Schedule, which tracks various rocket launches around the country.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the number of successful SpaceX launches. There had been 12 prior to this most recent launch on June 22, not 14.
