Another Starlink mission was launched by SpaceX on Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

After an on-time liftoff from Florida, SpaceX sent another batch of its Starlink internet-beaming satellites into orbit Saturday evening.

The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40 at 7:32 p.m. EDT, marking the Space Coast's 42nd launch of the year. It was the 62nd dedicated Starlink mission and the 181st total flight for the firm, with Falcon 9 hosting 177 of them.

The first group of 52 satellites launched around 15 minutes after liftoff, joining the more than 3,300 spacecraft that now comprise the constellation in low-Earth orbit.

The Falcon 9 first stage somersaulted and landed on the "A Shortfall of Gravitas" drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean around nine minutes after liftoff. When the rocket is returned to Port Canaveral in a few days, SpaceX will retrieve it for repair and reuse on a future voyage.

The launch might be the last for the Space Coast before Tropical Storm Ian passes through next week. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm is expected to become a major hurricane and hit Florida's west coast as early as Tuesday evening.

Various launches

United Launch Alliance launched its final West Coast Delta IV Heavy rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California just 77 minutes before the Falcon 9 mission. Only two more flights will take off from Cape Canaveral. One in 2023, followed by the rocket's last flight in 2024 before being decommissioned.

Due to storm-related issues, NASA stated on Saturday morning that its next opportunity to launch the Space Launch System rocket and the Artemis I mission had been canceled. It was set for Tuesday, September 27.

NASA workers were prepared for a possible retreat to the Vehicle Assembly Building on neighboring pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, should that choice be made. "Engineers postponed a final decision regarding the roll to Sunday to allow for further data collecting and analysis," NASA announced on Saturday.

A backup launch chance for Artemis I is available on Sunday, Oct. 2, but it is dependent on the storm and if NASA decides to return to the VAB. If this is the case, the launch might be delayed until late October or later.

In that event, the next launch from Florida may be a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The SES-20 and SES-21 commercial communications satellites for Luxembourg-based operator SES are scheduled to be launched on that mission. It is scheduled at 5:36 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 30. It is unknown whether Tropical Storm Ian will have an influence on that day.