Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Lather, Rinse, Repeat: SpaceX plans to launch another set of twenty-three Starlink satellites, this time from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.
The launch window is similar to last week’s Starlink 10-9 launch — it opens at 12:19 AM EDT and extends until 05:02 AM EDT the same day. Should weather or technical reasons arise and cause a delay, the company has a similar launch window Saturday, August 3.
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 76th of 2024 and its 15th launch from LC-39A this year. Overall, it will be the 386th SpaceX launch of all time.
At A Glance
- Mission: Starlink 10-6
- Date: NET August 2, 2024
- Launch Window: 12:19 AM – 05:02 AM EDT*
- Weather: 95% Go during the primary launch window
- Organization: SpaceX
- Rocket: Falcon 9
- Trajectory: Northeastward
- Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
- 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 a familiar one: twenty-three Starlink satellites. Starlink provides low-latency, high-bandwidth Internet connectivity to its customers.
Weather
General Forecast
Generally speaking, the threat of the usual afternoon and evening storms have died away for the evening by midnight, and tonight is no exception.
| Temperature | ~81° F / 26.9°C |
| Humidity | ~90% |
| Precipitation | None, Probably |
| Cloud cover | ~1% estimated |
| Windspeed (at ground level) | 12-14 MPH / 5.5 m/s |
| Visibility | ~8.7 miles / 14.0 km |
As shown below, the 45th’s forecast states, “Storms will meander the Space Coast area but will subside in advance of the launch windows each day leaving just lingering dissipating clouds. Additionally, during the launch windows there is a small chance for nocturnal storms to develop over the water near the coastline, especially on Saturday morning. Primary concerns for each day would be the Cumulus Cloud Rule.”
That in mind, the 45th is forecasting only a 5% Probability of Violations for weather conditions, meaning that they rate chances for acceptable conditions at 95%. They also have rated the probability of a problem at the booster landing area as “low.”
The official forecast from the 45th Weather Squadron:
Retrieved 11am 08/01/2024
Trajectory
The trajectory for the Starlink 10-6 mission is a familiar path: 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 10-6. 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 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
This morning’s planned launch is from LC-39A of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The northern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.
- Space View Park in Titusville
- The Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville
- Rotary Riverfront Park in Titusville
Indirect Views
There are several excellent viewing spots for LC-39A 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.
- Southern 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: unknown
SpaceX states “This is the 12th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and eight Starlink missions.”
That’s Booster B1078, which last flew forty days ago as part of the Starlink 10-2 mission.
| Booster B1078 | ||
| Flight Number | Payload | Date |
| 1 | Crew-6 | March 2, 2023 |
| 2 | O3b mPOWER 3 & 4 | April 28, 2023 |
| 3 | Starlink 6-4 | June 4, 2023 |
| 4 | Starlink 6-8 | August 7, 2023 |
| 5 | Starlink 6-16 | September 16, 2023 |
| 6 | Starlink 6-31 | December 3, 2023 |
| 7 | USSF-124 | February 14, 2024 |
| 8 | Starlink 6-46 | March 25, 2024 |
| 9 | Starlink 6-53 | April 23, 2024 |
| 10 | Starlink 6-60 | May 28, 2024 |
| 11 | Starlink 10-2 | June 23, 2024 |
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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 |
Via SpaceX. SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.
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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