SpaceX Readies 2 More Falcon Launches After Friday's Starlink Mission

Elon Musk‘s SpaceX readied two more Falcon 9 rockets on SpaceX launch pads on Friday, following a Starlink deployment earlier in the day.

What Happened: SpaceX shared pictures of its three Falcon 9 rockets on 3 SpaceX launchpads.

The rocket manufacturer launched 22 second-generation Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Florida at 12:41 a.m. ET on Friday aboard one of the Falcon 9s. The deployment of the satellites has been confirmed.

The company is now eyeing 6:19 a.m. PT to launch the Iridium OneWeb mission to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The third rocket will be launching Axiom Space’s second all-private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) Ax-2 from Florida on Sunday, May 21. While the initial launch window is at 5:37 p.m. ET on Sunday, a backup opportunity is also available at 5:14 p.m. ET on Monday.

Why It Matters: SpaceX has rolled out both Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft to the launch pad ahead of the Axiom Space mission. The mission was previously scheduled for May 8.

Under the mission, the four-member crew will fly on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, dock to the ISS for 10 days and conduct more than 20 research experiments. Axiom finalized a deal with SpaceX for three additional Dragon flights for its fully commercial missions to the International Space Station in June 2021.

The company aims to have an Axiom Station ready to operate as the ISS' privately owned successor by 2028.

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