SpaceX launches 2 Maxar Earth-observing satellites to orbit (video, photos)

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Launch of the two WorldView Legion satellites occurred at 6:13 p.m. ET today (Feb. 4).

SpaceX launched two Earth-imaging satellites today (Feb. 4), further building out Maxar Technologies' sharp-eyed WorldView Legion constellation.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the WorldView Legion 5 and 6 satellites lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida today at 6:13 p.m. EST (2313 GMT).

The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes after launch as planned, touching down at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which is next door to KSC.

side-by-side views of a rocket stage coming back to earth for a landing (right) and a rocket engine firing in earth orbit (right)

The first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket heads back to Earth for a landing on Feb. 4, 2025 (left), while the upper stage (right) carries Maxar Technologies' WorldView Legion 5 and 6 satellites to orbit. (Image credit: SpaceX)

It was the fourth launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.

The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, carried the two satellites to orbit. It deploy WorldView Legion 5 about 49 minutes after launch and WorldView Legion 6 roughly an hour after that as planned.

Related: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 2 Maxar satellites on record-tying 20th flight (video)

A black and white spacex falcon 9 rocket first stage sits on a landing pad.

The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands on a landing pad on Feb. 4, 2025, after launching Maxar Technologies' WorldView Legion 5 and 6 satellites toward orbit. (Image credit: SpaceX)
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"The launch of these two satellites will complete the first block of Maxar’s next-generation WorldView Legion satellites," Maxar representatives said in a prelaunch statement.

"It will also be a major milestone in Maxar's efforts to significantly increase its very high-resolution 30 cm-class satellite imagery collection capacity, bolstering its ability to support customer needs for near real-time insights," they added.

As that description notes, the WorldView Legion spacecraft are capable of resolving features as small as 12 inches (30 centimeters) on Earth's surface. SpaceX also launched the first four members of the constellation, sending WorldView Legion 1 and 2 up in May 2024 and lofting WorldView Legion 3 and 4 in August that same year.

The WorldView Legion 5 and 6 launch was SpaceX's second of the day. Elon Musk's company also lofted a batch of its Starlink internet satellites early this morning.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 4 with news of successful launch and rocket landing, then again at 8:15 p.m. ET with news of satellite deployment.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • StargazerUSA
    Pleased to point out this launch, directed in a northeast trajectory may well be visible along the Atlantic Seaboard. From Lower Delaware looking East towards the Southeast it is hoped the now familiar starfish will appear around 6 or 7 minutes after Falcon 9 abruptly springs from Pad 39-A in Florida.
    The window currently open at 1806 hrs and closes around 1900. It won't hurt to look east around one-quarter after 6 tonite!
    Reply
  • DJM-NJ
    StargazerUSA said:
    Pleased to point out this launch, directed in a northeast trajectory may well be visible along the Atlantic Seaboard. From Lower Delaware looking East towards the Southeast it is hoped the now familiar starfish will appear around 6 or 7 minutes after Falcon 9 abruptly springs from Pad 39-A in Florida.
    The window currently open at 1806 hrs and closes around 1900. It won't hurt to look east around one-quarter after 6 tonite!
    It was visible in NJ
    Reply
  • GeezingDad
    Also saw this in SouthCentral PA, although I did not know at the time what I was seeing. I just knew that "airliner in a cloud, which moved along with the airliner in an otherwise clear sky" was something else.

    https://www.adrive.com/public/N7x2Yz/PXL_20250205_005711870.NIGHT.jpg
    I'm guessing this photo, hosted on adrive, taken at 7:57 PM EST caught the last satellite deployment (Legion 6)? The timeframe does not make sense, and I wish my photography skills were better.
    Reply