Photo ©2023 Charles Boyer
SpaceX launched another group of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station late Saturday evening. The mission, designated as Starlink 5-31, added more Starlink satellites into the burgeoning constellation of over 5,500 small satellites providing Internet access from virtually anywhere globally. The launch occurred at the start of the launch window on a mostly cloudy, humid Florida evening at 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Weather had been a concern before the launch, with a roughly 55% chance of unacceptable conditions, according to the US Space Force Meteorologists. That forecast was nearly identical to one given for the previous night, where weather ultimately caused a scrub and delay to the next day, but this time, luck was on SpaceX’s side, and conditions were acceptable and the launch proceeded as planned.
Shortly after completing its sixth mission, Booster tail number B1078 landed offshore near the Bahamas on the automated drone ship A Shortfall of Grace. Previously, B1078 completed the Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station, the O3b mPOWER 3 and 4 satellites, and two Starlink missions. After returning to Port Canaveral, the booster will be examined, refurbished, and presumably prepared for its next flight at Hangar X, SpaceX’s facility in the Kennedy Space Center.
Tonight’s flight was SpaceX’s 85th Falcon 9 launch in 2023 and the 67th orbital launch from Cape Canaveral this year.
Photo ©2023 Charles Boyer
Note: Article was originally published at Talk of Titusville. Reposted by permission.