The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is ready to launch a new satellite into space

SpaceX is launching a communications satellite for internet service on planes and at sea, and you can watch the action.

SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 rocket to launch the Eutelsat 10B mission on behalf of Eutelsat on Monday (November 21) at 21:57 EST (02:57 GMT, Tuesday, November 22). A live stream will be available here on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, approximately 15 minutes before liftoff.

The mission starts from Cape Canaveral Space forces A station in coastal Florida; The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket is expected to land on a nearby drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 10 minutes after liftoff. According to SpaceX, this will be the 11th launch of the Falcon 9 first stage.

“The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Telstar 18 Vantage, Iridium-8 and eight Starlink mission,” SpaceX representatives wrote about it rockets. (Starlink is SpaceX’s series of broadband Internet satellites, more than 3,000 of which are currently in orbit.)

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During launch, Eutelsat 10B will be placed into a geostationary transfer orbit to make its way to geosynchronous orbitmeaning it will orbit the Earth in such a way as to consistently look at one part of the planet below.

Eutelsat 10B will include a high-bandwidth Ku-band payload “in areas of the busiest air and maritime traffic” over the North Atlantic, Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Eutelsat representatives wrote about it (opens in a new tab) missions. A second Ku-band payload will be available for the Atlantic Ocean, Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Eutelsat officials said the satellite also carries two C-band and Ku-band wide beam payloads for existing customers on Eutelsat 10A. The new satellite will replace the 12-year-old Eutelsat 10A, which is expected to come to an end in 2023 for customers in the Americas and Asia.

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of “Why am I taller (opens in a new tab)?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace (opens in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab) or Facebook (opens in a new tab).