KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — After pushing it back a few times, SpaceX was able to launch more than 20 Starlink satellites on Saturday night. 

The Falcon 9 rocket sent up Starlink 12-17 mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, stated SpaceX. 

It took off at 8:53 p.m. ET. 

It means that during that timeframe, SpaceX can launch the Starlink 12-17 mission. 

However, the weather looks a bit iffy. The 45th Weather Squadron is giving a 60% chance of favorable launch forecast with the primary concerns being liftoff winds, thick cloud layers and cumulus cloud rules.

Find out more about the weather criteria for a Falcon 9 launch.

The earlier attempts

SpaceX had wanted to launch the mission earlier, with a nearly three-launch window that would have started at 9:54 p.m. ET, Thursday. Later on Thursday, the launch window was shorten to a 16-minute launch window that was set to open at 1:24 a.m. ET and close at 1:40 a.m. ET.

SpaceX did not state why the launch time changed.

However, the forecast was much better as the 45th Weather Squadron gave a 95% chance of good liftoff conditions, with the only concern being the cumulus cloud rule. 

The next attempt was Friday evening, but that was pushed back as well. 

The Big 10

This was a big launch for Falcon first-stage booster B1083 as it hit the double digits. It has had nine impressive missions in its resume, including two crewed ones and a lunar lander:

1. Crew-8 launch
2. Polaris Dawn mission
3. Starlink 6-48 mission
4. Starlink 6-56 mission
5. CRS-31
6. Starlink 6-65 mission
7. Astranis
8. Starlink 13-1 mission
9. IM-2 mission

After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas that was in the Atlantic Ocean.

About the mission

The 21 satellites from the Starlink company, owned by SpaceX, will be heading to low-Earth orbit to join the thousands already there.

After they are deployed and find their home orbit, they will deliver internet service to many parts of Earth.

Dr. Jonathan McDowell, of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has been documenting Starlink satellites.

Before this launch, McDowell recorded the following:

• 7,216 are in orbit
• 6,496 are in operational orbit