— Falcon 9: Rocket for the Dragon SES-22's launch was the 27th of the year for SpaceX and the 161st flight of a Falcon 9 overall. It was also the first of two planned liftoffs from American soil within about eight hours of each other. SES-22 will be followed by "Straight Up," a seven-satellite mission that Virgin Orbit plans to launch from Mojave Air and Space Port in southeastern California. "Straight Up" is scheduled to lift off during a window that opens at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT) on Thursday (June 30). You can watch that mission — which will employ LauncherOne, a rocket that ignites at altitude after being dropped by a carrier plane — here at Space.com when the time comes. Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.