SpaceX launches shiny new first stage booster on election day from Cape Canaveral

As Space Coast voters headed off to the polls, a shiny new SpaceX booster leaped into the sky.

After being delayed twice and pushed to the end of the launch window, this new first stage booster on a Falcon 9 rocket powered 22 Starlink internet satellites off of Space Launch Complex 40 Tuesday morning. Just over eight-and-a-half minutes later, this booster completed its first landing ? the second stage continuing to power the satellites to their orbit.

This first stage booster originally was supposed to see its first flight with the launch of NASA's Crew-9, which was recently postponed to late September.

When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule from Florida

During a press briefing earlier in August, Steve Stitch, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, touched on an issue this first stage faced while being transported to Cape Canaveral from SpaceX's site in Texas. Teams discovered that water had entered the liquid oxygen tank. SpaceX dried the tank out and replaced a few damaged parts.

However, they wanted to test the booster before flying NASA's Crew-9.

On Monday evening, Spaceflight Now's cameras at the Cape captured SpaceX conducting a static test fire of the first stage booster ? which simply put is loading of propellants and firing of the rocket's engines, yet the rocket is not launched. This is a test run to check everything is functioning before the actual launch.

What is the next rocket launch from Florida?

The next launch the Space Coast will see is another Starlink launch on Friday, during a window which runs from 3:46 a.m. to 8:16 a.m. EDT. SpaceX has yet to confirm the exact liftoff time.

Following this launch, the crew of Polaris Dawn is set to lift off from Pad 39A at 3:38 a.m. on Monday. Commanded by previous Inspiration4 mission commander, Jared Isaacman, this privately funded SpaceX mission is planning the first spacewalk done by a private company.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launches brand new booster from Florida on election day