SpaceX got right back to business early Saturday morning as it launched the Starlink 8-10 mission aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX, Starlink 8-10, August 31, 2024
Launch Report: SpaceX Launches Starlink 8-10 From Cape Canaveral
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX got right back to business early Saturday morning as it launched the Starlink 8-10 mission aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Liftoff was at 03:43 AM EDT, with Booster B1085 completing its first mission successfully 8:22 minutes later when it touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions.’ At 5:06 AM, SpaceX confirmed satellite deployment and the conclusion of another successful launch for the company.
This was the 61st mission launch from the Eastern Range overall so far in 2024.
Payload
According to SpaceX, tonight’s payload was “21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit.”
Starlink now has approximately 6300 active satellites in its expanding constellation, which serves over three million customers in over 100 countries and territories globally.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
This one is tricky: Polaris Dawn is vertical at LC-39A and is awaiting good weather prior to its start. SpaceX nor the Polaris Dawn program have announced the date for the next launch attempt, but one may be forthcoming at any time.
Otherwise, if Polaris Dawn does not launch by mid-week next week, SpaceX has the Starlink 8-11 mission penciled in for Wednesday, September 4th with a launch window between 08:59 AM and 12:59 AM EDT.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
FAA Clears Falcon 9 To Resume Flights
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared SpaceX to resume Falcon 9 launches:
The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met. SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30.
The FAA
Shortly after the FAA made its announcement, the Space Force also made an announcement, seen at left:
US Space Force:
“Tomorrow morning, SLD 45 will support the Falcon 9 Starlink 8-10 launch.
The launch window opens Aug. 31 at 01:39 EDT (05:39 UTC). T-0 may vary.”
Polaris Dawn?
The crewed Polaris Dawn mission is currently on the launch pad at LC-39A waiting for improvements in the weather offshore in the abort zones. An official launch date has yet to be given for the twice-delayed mission.
There are several space schedule websites calling for a launch at 03:38 AM EDT Sunday, September 1st, but there has been no announcement of that being the case either by SpaceX or the Polaris Dawn team. Stay tuned.
NASA Announces Changes To Crew 9: Hague and Gorbunov To Fly, Cardman and Wilson Will Be Reassigned
Photos from NASA and Roscosmos
NASA has made an official announcement regarding the roster for Crew 9, currently scheduled to fly to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon no earlier than September 24.
In a press release issued August 30, the agency said, “NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, previously announced as crewmates, are eligible for reassignment on a future mission.”
Photo: NASA
They added that Hague and Gorbunov would fly to the space station as commanders and pilots on a two-crew member flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon. These changes were made to create room aboard Crew Dragon for Boeing Starliner Crewed Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose spacecraft will return to Earth on September 6 without the two aboard.
“I am deeply proud of our entire crew,” said Cardman said in the NASA press release, “and I am confident Nick and Alex will step into their roles with excellence. All four of us remain dedicated to the success of this mission, and Stephanie and I look forward to flying when the time is right.”
Photo: NASA
Wilson added, “I know Nick and Alex will do a great job with their work aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72.”
NASA Chief Astronaut Joe Acabo said, “While we’ve changed crew before for a variety of reasons, downsizing crew for this flight was another tough decision to adjust to given that the crew has trained as a crew of four.”
NASA says it will share the reassignment details for Cardman and Wilson when they become available.
Starliner Set To Start Uncrewed Return On September 6
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
NASA announced today that Starliner will undock from the International Space Station September 6th and return to Earth September 7th.
Starliner launched on June 5th for what was originally planned to be an eight day mission. Since that time, Boeing, NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have been assessing issues with Starliner’s service module thrusters and working towards a decision whether to return with or without Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the two NASA astronauts who launched aboard the spacecraft.
The decision was made last week to return Starliner uncrewed and today’s announcement sets the stage for the end of Boeing’s part of the Starliner Crewed Flight Test. Williams and Wilmore remain aboard ISS, and will join Crew-9’s roster when it arrives at Station in late September. That mission will be flown using a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
NASA and Boeing concluded a detailed Delta-Flight Test Readiness Review on Thursday, polling “go” to process with undocking of the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft no earlier than 6:04 p.m. EDT of Friday, Sept. 6, from the International Space Station, pending weather and operational readiness.
After undocking, Starliner will take about six hours to reach the landing zone at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The spacecraft will touch down about 12:03 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, descending under parachutes and with inflated airbags to cushion the impact. Recovery teams at the landing will safe and prepare the spacecraft for a return to Boeing’s Starliner factory at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA, August 29, 2024
FAA: Failed SpaceX Booster Landing Will Require An Investigation, Launch Schedule Effects Unknown
Talk of Titusville queried the FAA this morning to get a definitive statement from the agency as to whether it would require an investigation into the failed landing of Booster B1062 on last night’s Starlink 8-6 mission. Their reply is as follows:
The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 8-6 mission that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 28. The incident involved the failure of the Falcon 9 booster rocket while landing on a droneship at sea. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation.
Background
An investigation is designed to further enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again.
The FAA will be involved in every step of the investigation process and must approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions.
A return to flight of the Falcon 9 booster rocket is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the anomaly does not affect public safety. In addition, SpaceX may need to request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates any corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements.
-Federal Aviation Administration, August 28, 2024
The FAA also noted that the the information they provided is preliminary and subject to change.
Public Safety
Given that most Falcon 9 landings are at sea on automated drone ships, the question of “public safety” seems moot. No uninformed member of the general public was near the drone ship when the booster toppled, and in fact, no SpaceX or contractor personnel were aboard the drone ship either. No one was — the drone ship is automated during landing operations.
Notably, Falcon 9 and Booster B1062 seemingly had a normal ascent, second-stage separation and preparation for its landing sequence last night. Again, that points to the uninformed general public never being in danger.
Whether the FAA agrees with that assessment remains to be seen. It is also worth noting that SpaceX has had 267 consecutive successful Falcon 9 booster landings before last night.
The last failed booster landing for the company was on February 16, 2021, when Booster B1059 did not land successfully aboard ASDS ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ after launching Starlink 19. The next launch of Falcon 9 came on March 4, 2021, sixteen days after the Starlink 19 mishap.
Whether that roughly two-week period is a guideline for last night’s mishap investigation timeline remains to be seen.
Schedule Effects
The most important launch that this investigation could affect is Polaris Dawn, which is currently on its launch mount at LC-39A and tentatively scheduled to launch as soon as Friday.
SpaceX has not officially announced the date for the next Polaris Dawn launch attempt, and hopefully the company will provide more clarity regarding its plans and obligations in the coming days.
Polaris Dawn Prelaunch Photos
Polaris Dawn, a fully-private commercial crew mission that plans to be the highest-orbiting crewed mission as well as conducting the first private spacewalk is on the launch pad and awaiting improved weather prior to launching.
The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center earlier this week and are now in final preparations for their upcoming flight aboard a Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.
These are photos taken prior to the launch of Falcon 9 and the start of the mission.
Launch Report: Starlink 8-3
Photo: via SpaceX livestream
Fresh off of the delay of the Polaris Dawn’s 3:38 AM launch Wednesday morning, thanks to unfavorable weather in the abort zones, SpaceX made the decision to continue with the launch of Starlink mission 8-6, slated for launch at 3:48 AM. While the launch and deployment of the Starlink satellite payload went off without a hitch, it would not prove to be a great morning for SpaceX.
Booster Lost Due To Failed Landing
Despite the overall success of the primary mission, the record-breaking flight of Booster B1062 was marred when it failed to land safely on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean.
Liftoff was at 03:48 AM EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. While the primary mission objective—to deploy the Starlink satellites—was accomplished, the attempt to recover the booster did not go as planned. As the booster descended towards the droneship, a green flash was visible near the Merlin engines, followed by the booster toppling over and catching fire.
SpaceX confirmed the incident in an update posted on X.com shortly afterward.
Landing Streak Comes To A Disappointing End
The loss of the storied booster disappointed both SpaceX and the company’s growing ranks of followers. The reusability of the Falcon 9 first-stage boosters is a cornerstone of the company’s business model. Wednesday’s failure ends a streak of 267 consecutive successful booster landings. The last time SpaceX experienced a similar failure was on February 16, 2021, during the Starlink 19 v1.0 mission. On that occasion, the booster B1059 failed to land on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You.”
Following the incident, SpaceX decided to stand down from what would have been the day’s third launch attempt, another Starlink mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to evaluate the data from B1059. A new launch date for that mission has not yet been announced.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
With the failed landing of B1062, SpaceX has already delayed one launch from Vandenberg AFB in California while it evaluates what led to the failure and what remediations would be necessary. That makes the timeline of launches from Florida tenuous as well. While there has been no official announcement of launch dates for Polaris and the Starlink mission being set, it may take SpaceX several days to complete their analyses before their next launch.
That being said, Polaris Dawn is currently on the launch pad, awaiting weather improvements. That could come as early as Friday morning but do pay close attention to official announcements from SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn program regarding their next launch attempt.
- Date: NET August 30, 2024
- Organization: SpaceX
- Mission: Polaris Dawn
- Rocket: Falcon 9
- Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
- Launch Window: 03:38 AM – 07:09 AM EDT
- Payload: Crew Dragon with four astronauts
Note: This article was written by Mark Stone of Florida Media Now and was originally published at that website.
Abort Zone Weather Conditions Force SpaceX To Scrub Polaris Dawn To At Least Friday
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX has called off the Polaris Dawn launch of Falcon 9 until at least Friday, August 29th. The company announced shortly after 10 PM EDT that it was standing down for the night, and stated on its website that its next attempt would be no earlier than the end of the week:
Those areas would be of vital importance in the unlikely event of an in-flight abort that forced Crew Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew to land downrange in the seas off of the Florida coast. With unacceptable conditions there, the launch was scrubbed roughly 5.5 hours before L-0.
The launch vehicle and crew remain healthy and safe, and a new launch date will likely be announced soon.
Repairs on Helium Quick-Disconnect Completed Earlier Tuesday
SpaceX completed repairs on the faulty quick-disconnect Helium supply line earlier in the day with alacrity, as repairs were completed by early afternoon. Shortly afterward, around 2 PM, Falcon was raised to a standing launch condition. Unfortunately, weather conditions offshore in the abort zone necessitated a two-day stand-down hours later.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Launch Preview: Polaris Dawn (Update: Now NET Wednesday)
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX plans to launch Polaris Dawn early tomorrow UPDATE: Wednesday morning from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, with four astronauts aboard a Crew Dragon.
The launch is scheduled for 3:38 AM EDT, with two additional launch opportunities within a four-hour window at 5:23 AM EDT and 7:09 AM EDT. If, for some reason, the launch does not happen tomorrow morning, backup opportunities are available on Wednesday, Update: Thursday August 29, at the same time.
Booster B1083 will be making its fourth flight on this mission. It has been in service since March, 2024 when it launched the Crew-8 mission from KSC. Its two other flights were Starlink missions.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
At A Glance
- Mission: Polaris Dawn
- Date: NET August 28, 2024
- Launch Window: 03:38 AM – 07:09 AM EDT*
- Weather: 80% Go during the primary launch window
- Organization: SpaceX / Polaris Program
- Rocket: Falcon 9
- Trajectory: Northeast
- Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
- Booster Landing: ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’
- Payload: Crew Dragon ‘Resilience’ with four crew members
- Destination: LEO
* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.
Weather
There is a favorable forecast for tonight’s launch from the 45th Weather Squadron. They are calling for a 15% Probability of Violation of weather criteria, meaning there is an 85% chance the weather is acceptable for the launch.
(Updated to reflect latest forecast on 27 August)
Trajectory
Northeastwards, at around 51.8 degrees.
Launch spectators on the southeastern coast may get a view of the launch as it ascends from Kennedy Space Center — depending on local conditions and clouds between them and the rocket.
Payload
Crew Dragon Resilience, with four astronauts aboard: Jared Isaacman, Mission Commander; Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Mission Pilot; Sarah Gillis, Mission Specialist; and Anna Menon, Mission Specialist and Medical Officer.
Learn more about the astronauts:
Meet The Crew of Polaris Dawn
Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Program
Resilience will be familiar to Jared Isaacman, he flew aboard it during the Inspiration 4 mission.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Official Links
Polaris Dawn Official Website
SpaceX Official Polaris Dawn page
Polaris Dawn St. Jude’s Donation Page (please donate!)
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: Polaris Dawn. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage will start about 3.5 hours prior to 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 Flight 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. They are also on the web: nextspaceflight.com.
Launch Viewing: In Person
Given that this is a launch from Kennedy Space Center with no booster return to the Cape, Max Brewer Bridge and the northern Tistusville parks on Washington Avenue (US1) are your best bets: Space View Park, Rotary Riverview Park and others.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Canaveral National Seashore will be closed for the evening, but if the launch pushes past 6AM EDT, those areas should be open.
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