Watch Live: SpaceX Satellite Launch From Vandenberg Air Force Base

SpaceX will launch a satellite Thursday afternoon for Taiwan’s space organization from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. If successful the launch will be the 12th successful launch for SpaceX in 2017 alone. The company had some minor setbacks but has been launching more frequently as the year has progressed.

Just last week SpaceX launched a resupply mission to the International Space Station full of supplies. Currently the Dragon craft the company launched is attached to the station where it will stay for another three weeks or so before it is filled with experiments and materials to be sent back to Earth.

Thursday’s launch was scheduled for a launch window opening at 2:51 p.m. EDT and ending 42 minutes later. If weather does not cooperate or if the launch is delayed for any other reason a backup window for the launch has been scheduled for Friday at the same time. Despite thick fog Thursday the scheduled launch was still on about an hour and a half before launch time.

Once the Falcon 9 rocket launches the satellite, called the Formosat-5, is expected to deploy to low-Earth orbit about 11 minutes later. It will stay in a sun-synchronous orbit nearly 450 miles above the Earth’s surface. The main piece of equipment on the satellite is a Remote Sensing Instrument, or RSI, that will provide aerial photos.

The satellite itself is a landmark piece of equipment for Taiwan because it is the first one that the country’s National Space Organization has ever designed, developed and integrated. The satellite will help make Taiwan more self-reliant with space technology and it will enhance the country’s access to imaging from space.

After the rocket launches and the satellite deploys the first stage of the Falcon 9 will begin its reentry to Earth’s atmosphere. It will then attempt a landing in the Pacific on one of the autonomous drone landing ships SpaceX designed called “Just Read the Instructions.”

SpaceX pioneered the reusable rocket that relies on the first stage recovery. The rocket comes down back through space and it designed to sustain reentry conditions. Then it approaches the landing drone that measures about 100 feet, which can be extended to 170 feet, by 300 feet. The ship doesn’t anchor which can make the landing difficult if the rocket doesn’t touch down with its weight centered. The craft instead relies on thrusters to keep it in place under the rocket.

On Thursday, if the launch and landing goes off without any issues, SpaceX will increase the space between its past record of most launches that was set at eight to 12 launches. The launch will be broadcast live on the SpaceX website as well as on YouTube.

Watch SpaceX launch a satellite live: