Fresh on the heels of a successful Return to Flight mission of Falcon 9 this morning, SpaceX plans to launch another set of twenty-three Starlink satellites, this time from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Sunday morning.

The launch window is similar to this morning’s Starlink 10-9 launch as well: it opens at 12:13 AM EDT and extends until 04:43 AM EDT the same day. Should weather or technical reasons arise and cause a delay, the company has a similar launch window Monday, July 29.

After it completes its portion of the mission, the booster will land offshore on ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’, which is stationed offshore downrange on the Atlantic Ocean near the Carolinas. Since this is not a Return To Launch Site mission, no sonic booms will be heard on the Space Coast.

The launch will be SpaceX’s 74th of 2024 and its 35th from SLC-40 this year. Overall, it will be the 386th SpaceX launch of all time.

At A Glance

• Mission: Starlink 10-4
• Date: NET July 28, 2024
• Launch Window: 12:13 AM – 04:43 AM EDT*
• Weather: 85% Go during the primary launch window
• Organization: SpaceX
• Rocket: Falcon 9
• Trajectory: Northeastward
• Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
• Booster Landing: Offshore on ASDS A Shortfall of Gravitas
• Payload: Communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
• Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
  
  ^{* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.}

Payload

The payload for this mission is the same as this morning: twenty-three Starlink satellites. Starlink provides low-latency, high-bandwidth Interet connectivity to its customers and began serving its first users in the Autumn of 2020. Currently, there are over 6,000 active Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, serving over three million customers in over 100 countries worldwide.

Weather

General Forecast

Once again, the weather looks good for a launch tonight, especially given the season. The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force — the group that produces the official launch forecast and provides range weather services — has not ruled out the possibility of a shower or an anvil cloud entering the launch region and causing a delay.

Temperature	80° F / 26.7°C
Humidity	~80%
Precipitation	None, Probably
Cloud cover	~65%
Windspeed (at ground level)	12 MPH / 5.5 m/s
Visibillity	~10.6 miles / 17.0 km

As shown below, the 45th’s forecast states, “Models are divided on development of any late evening convection nearby, but persistence suggests there will be enough instability that a few popups can’t be ruled out even late night if outflows do move through. Anvil level flow will remain out of the north-northeast, bringing a messy mix of frontal cloudiness, convective debris, and remnant anvils across the Spaceport for both launch windows. These will present the main forecast concern, with a smaller threat for locally developing showers with any outflows. There are currently no clear trends throughout the windows as the front and mid-level trough digging into the east coast will likely keep any convection to the north going into the late evening.”

Despite these concerns the 45th is rating the chances of acceptable weather at 85% GO, with only a 15% Probability of Violation.

The official forecast from the 45th Weather Squadron:

Trajectory

The trajectory for the Starlink 10-4 mission is northeastward, the customary direction for SpaceX’s Group 10 Starlink launches. The rocket right-to-left if you are on the Space Coast and facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean.

Landing

After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas.’

As such, there will be no sonic boom on the Space Coast.

Online Viewing

SpaceCoastLaunchCalendar.com will have a livestream of the launch if you’re not able to watch the launch in person: Livestream

SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 10-4. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.

Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link

For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.

Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.

Launch Viewing: In Person

This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-40, on the south side of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The southern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.

• Banana River Bridge on FL-528 W in Cape Canaveral
• Kennedy Point Park in Titusville
• Rotary Riverfront Park in Titusville

Indirect Views

There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-40 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.

• Jetty Park, Port Canaveral
  • Fee required, much be purchased in advance: Port Canaveral Store
  • It’s very possible to see a cruise ship coming or going.
  • The pier especially has great views
• Cocoa Beach
  • Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
  • Further away, but still good views.
• Northern Titusville Parks
  • Further away, but really nice views.

Restaurants With Good Launch Views

Given that the launch window opens after midnight and closes before dawn, local restaurants will be closed before liftoff and will not re-open before the end of the window.

Booster: B1077

According to SpaceX, “This is the 14th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, and seven Starlink missions.” That’s Booster B1077.

SpaceX Booster B1077
Flight	Mission	Date
1	Crew-5	10/15/2023
2	GPS III SV06	01/18/2023
3	Inmarsat-6 F2	02/18/2023
4	Starlink Group 5-10	03/29/2023
5	Dragon CRS-2 SpX-28	06/05/2023
6	Galaxy 37	08/03/2023
7	Starlink Group 6-13	09/01/2023
8	Starlink Group 6-25	10/30/2023
9	Starlink Group 6-33	12/07/2023
10	Northrup Grumman NG-20	01/30/2024
11	Starlink Group 6-43	03/10/2024
12	Starlink Group 6-51	04/17/2024
13	Starlink Group 6-63	06/05/2024

SpaceX has not yet announced which Falcon 9 booster will fly tonight’s mission.

Countdown Timeline

There are key events in the countdown that you may hear called out in launch coverage.

Remember that once Propellant Loading (T-minus thirty-eight minutes) starts, Falcon 9 is committed to the launch attempt. Because of the nature of the cryogenic fuels used to power the rockets, any hold precludes a later launch attempt the same day. While it only rarely happens, there have been occasions where that has happened, and a launch scrub is called for the day’s attempt.

SpaceX provides the following countdown milestones on their mission information page:

Hours:Minutes:Seconds	Event
00:38:00	SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00*	RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:00	1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:00	2nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00	Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00	Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00	Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45	SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03	Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00	Falcon 9 liftoff

Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight

SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:

Hours:Minutes:Seconds	Event
00:00:00	Liftoff
00:01:10	Max-Q (Moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:26	1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30	1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:36	2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:57	Fairing deployment
00:06:05	1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:28	1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:46	1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:14	1st stage landing
00:08:39	2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:40	2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:42	2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:03:34	Starlink satellites deploy

All events up to the end of the 1st stage entry burn should be visible for launch spectators watching the launch in person, so long as clouds are not blocking the viewer’s line of sight.

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