November 2024

SpaceX launched the TD7 satellite for operator Optus-X this evening from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 5:28 PM EST into partly cloudy skies just as the sun was officially setting.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifting off at 5:28 PM EST on November 17, 2024 to begin the Optus-X/TD7 mission. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifting off at 5:28 PM EST on November 17, 2024 to begin the Optus-X/TD7 mission. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

Around eight and a half minutes after launching, Booster B1077 completed its sixteenth mission when it touched down safely on SpaceX’s drone ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas.’ The booster and ship will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster offloaded and returned to the company’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center. There, it will be inspected and presumably prepared for its next mission.

Not much is known about the payload for this mission other than it was a telecommunications satellite for Australian company Optus. No details on the design or functionality was provided by Optus or SpaceX, though the latter rarely goes into much depth on their customer’s payloads. Optus recently announced that they are now an “authorised reseller of Starlink high-speed, low-latency internet. The new service, which will be called Satellite Internet for business, will offer enterprise and small business customers fast, uncapped, reliable high throughput Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband connectivity regardless of how many employees are at a company.”

Whether today’s launch is at all related to the Starlink deal is unknown.

Launch Replay

By The Numbers

  • 110th launch rocket launch this year for SpaceX
  • 428th launch all-time for SpaceX
  • 21st launch from LC-39A this year
  • 372nd Falcon Family Booster landing
  • 85th landing on A Shortfall Of Gravitas
  • 43rd consecutive successful landing for a Falcon family booster

Next Launch

SpaceX will open the week’s launches tomorrow, Monday 18th with a Falcon 9 carrying the Indian telecommunication satellite, GSAT-20, for New Space India Limited from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral.

  • Date: NET November 18, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX / NASA
  • Mission: GSAT-20
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral
  • Launch Window: 1:31 – 3:20 PM EST
  • Payload: Starlink satellites

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.

Into the clouds: Falcon 9 rose over the clouds quickly on November 17, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
Falcon 9 lifts off to start the Optus-X/TD7 mission on November 17th, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
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SpaceX is planning to launch the Optus-X/TD7 telecommunications satellite for Australian communications company Optus today from Kennedy Space Center. The launch window opens at 4:29 PM EST and extends to 6:27 PM the same day. According to SpaceX, if the mission does not launch today, then “there is a backup opportunity on Monday, November 18 at the same time.”

Booster B1077 will power the ascent initially, and will be flying its 16th mission. B1077 has previously supported the Crew-5, GPS III-06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, NG-20, and nine Starlink missions in previous flights. It is slated to land offshore on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ after performing its part of the mission. Since the landing is offshore, the Space Coast will not hear a sonic boom today.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Optus-X/TD 7
  • Date: NET November 17, 2024
  • Launch Window:  4:29 PM – 6:29 PM EST*
  • Weather: 95+% GO
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: East
  • Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Booster Landing: ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
  • Destination: Optus-X/TD 7 telecommunications satellite

    * consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.

Weather

It should be a spectacular afternoon for a space flight, according to the 45th Weather Squadron of the Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45. With less than a five percent chance of a violation, that means the weather today should be 95%+ go at the launch site. There is, however, a moderate concern for the landing area, which may cause some launch delays if SpaceX decides to wait for conditions to calm in the location of ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’

Trajectory

Eastwards.

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: Optus TD7. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about fifteen 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

The best free options are available for spectators: Northern Titusville parks on Washington Avenu / US-1 are your best bets: Space View Park, Sands Park, Rotary Riverfront Park.

The Space Bar will be open through the launch window. New York New York in Titusville will be open to roughly 7 PM, and is a great place to watch as well. Restaurants in Port Canaveral, specifically Gators Dockside, Fishlips and Grills Seafood should have good views after the rocket clears obstructions.

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Artist's rendering of AST BlueBird satellites in orbit. Via: Blue Origin
An artist rendering of AST Mobile satellites in orbit.
Graphic: Blue Origin via X.com

Business is picking up at Blue Origin, as the company and AST Mobile announced yesterday that Blue and New Glenn have been selected for multiple launches of AST’s next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). According to both companies, the launches will occur over a multi-year period.

Both Companies Comment On The Contract

“New Glenn’s performance and unprecedented capacity within its seven-meter fairing enables us to deploy more of our Block 2 BlueBird satellites in orbit, helping provide continuous cellular broadband service coverage across some of the most in-demand cellular markets globally,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, AST SpaceMobile in a press release.

“It’s an honor to support AST SpaceMobile’s deployment of their next generation BlueBird satellites, which will expand connectivity across the globe and positively impact many lives,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp in the same press release. “New Glenn is purpose-built for these kinds of innovative and ambitious missions.” 

New Glenn Set To Fly For First Time In the Next Six Weeks

New Glenn is anticipated to make its maiden flight sometime this year, though Blue Origin has not announced a specific date for that launch. The company recently assembled the first and second-stage flight hardware for that first flight, with other preparations still continuing.

Blue Origin also received a water deluge permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the past couple of weeks, clearing the way for BO to fire up New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines for both a pre-launch static fire and the launch of New Glenn itself. The water deluge system is part of the vital sound suppression system used at Launch Complex 36 to protect New Glenn on its initial ascent.

The company still needs an FAA permit for the flight, but one is expected soon.

The partially assembled rocket set to fly the maiden launch of New Glenn for Blue Origin
Photo: Blue Origin, via X.com

With its BlueBird satellites, AST Mobile is building a constellation of “low-latency broadband satellites” that it will use to serve both the commercial and consumer marketplace. According to the company, AST Mobile’s technology will “operate directly with everyday smartphones and allow seamless switching between terrestrial cell towers and satellite signals depending on location and coverage needs.”

AST Mobile Partnering with Nearly 50 Companies With BlueBird

In 2024, AST SpaceMobile has secured additional strategic investment from AT&T, Verizon, Google and Vodafone, and new contract awards with the United States Government, directly and through prime contractors. The company has agreements with more than 45 mobile network operators globally, which have over 2.8 billion existing subscribers total.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launching BlueBird 1-5 for AST Mobile on September 24, 2024.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launching BlueBird 1-5 for AST Mobile on September 24, 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

The first five BlueBird satellites launched by AST SpaceMobile were launched on September 12, 2024. The BlueBirds are the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed, with each satellite’s antenna covering 693 square feet. The satellites are designed to provide direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity to mobile phones.

  • BlueBird 1: COSPAR: 2024-163C
  • BlueBird 2: COSPAR: 2024-163D
  • BlueBird 3: COSPAR: 2024-163A
  • BlueBird 4: COSPAR: 2024-163E 
  • BlueBird 5: COSPAR: 2024-163B

The satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on September 12, 2024.

According to AST Mobile, the launches purchased in this contract will fly in 2025 and 2026, with around sixty BlueBird Block 2 satellites as the payload. New Glenn, with its seven-meter fairing, can launch up to eight BlueBird Block 2 in a single launch, so while it was not specifically noted by either company, it sounds like at least seven or eight New Glenn launches will be needed to meet the goal of lofting sixty satellites.

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Falcon 9 and Starlink 6-68 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 on November 14, 2024. Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX sent another group of Starlink satellites to orbit aboard a Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 40 this morning. Liftoff was at 8:21 AM.

Around 8.5 minutes later, Falcon 9 booster B1076 touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, which had been pre-positioned off the coast of The Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean. The drone ship will return to Port Canaveral and B1076 will be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X for inspection and, presumably, preparation for its next flight.

At 9:27 AM EST, SpaceX announced payload deployment and a successful end to the mission:

Launch Replay

By The Numbers

  • 17th SpaceX launch in the past 31 days
  • 428th SpaceX launch all time
  • 54th launch from SLC-40 this year
  • 43rd consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch
  • 986th Launch from Cape Canaveral, all time

Next Launch

SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Northrup Grumman-built Optus X telecommunications satellite aboard a Falcon 9 Sunday afternoon from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.

  • Date: NET November 17, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Optus X
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: Launch Complex 39A
  • Launch Window: 4:29 – 6:37 PM EST
  • Payload: Optus X, a  geostationary communications satellite.

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.

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SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-69 mission to low-Earth orbit late this afternoon, and by so doing completed its second launch from the Eastern Range (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center) in less than five hours. Starlink 6-69 launched aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:28 PM EST, a mere four hours and six minutes after SpaceX launched Koreasat 6A from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Both launches were successes.

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SpaceX launched the Koreasat 6A satellite from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center this afternoon. Liftoff was at 12:22 PM EDT under blue skies and on a warm afternoon here on the Space Coast.

Several minutes after launching, Booster B1067 touched down at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral and became the first SpaceX booster to successfully complete 23 launches and landings. Two other Falcon 9 boosters have also flown 23 times, with one being expended (with no landing attempt) and another that did not land successfully and was destroyed.

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SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-69 mission to low-Earth orbit late this afternoon, and by so doing completed its second launch from the Eastern Range (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center) in less than five hours. Starlink 6-69 launched aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:28 PM EST, a mere four hours and six minutes after SpaceX launched Koreasat 6A from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Both launches were successes.

People enjoying late afternoon on Cocoa Beach were treated to a second launch for the day.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1080 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ to complete its twelfth mission successfully, while the second stage and payload continued to low Earth orbit. About the same time that the booster landed, the initial orbit for the payload was achieved, with a short orbit rounding burn just before payload deployment.

‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ will now return with B0180 to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be offloaded, returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center where it will be inspected and presumably begin the process of it being prepared for its next mission,

At 5:33 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed a successful deployment of the payload of Starlink satellites and a successful end to the flight.

Launch Replay

By The Numbers

  • 113th SpaceX launch this year
  • 426th SpaceX launch all time
  • 40th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch
  • 369th Falcon Family Booster landing
  • 84th landing on A Shortfall Of Gravitas
  • 53rd launch from Space Launch Complex 40 this year

Next Launch

The next launch from the Eastern Range is a near carbon copy of today’s Starlink 6-69 flight. Starlink 6-68 is slated to launch from SLC-40 on Thursday with the launch window opening at 5:33 AM EST and extending to 9:33 AM the same day. The payload is another group of Starlink satellites to join SpaceX’s constellation of data satellites.

  • Date: NET November 14, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX / NASA
  • Mission: Starlink 6-68
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral
  • Launch Window: 5:33 AM – 9:33 AM EST
  • Payload: Starlink satellites

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.

Starlink 6-69 rising to space on November 11, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Starlink 6-69 rising to space on November 11, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

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SpaceX Falcon 9 launching the Koreasat 6A mission from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX launched the Koreasat 6A satellite from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center this afternoon. Liftoff was at 12:22 PM EDT under blue skies and on a warm afternoon here on the Space Coast.

Several minutes after launching, Booster B1067 touched down at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral and became the first SpaceX booster to successfully complete 23 launches and landings. Two other Falcon 9 boosters have also flown 23 times, with one being expended (with no landing attempt) and another that did not land successfully and was destroyed.

About the same time that the booster landed, the initial orbit for the payload was achieved. At 12:57 PM EST SpaceX announced the payload had been successfully deployed, concluding another successful Falcon 9 mission for the company.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launching with the Koreasat 6A payload aboard on November 11, 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Launch Replay

By The Numbers

  • 112th SpaceX launch this year
  • 20th launch from LC-39A this year
  • 39th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch
  • 424th SpaceX launch all time
  • 368th Falcon Family Booster landing
  • 47th landing on LZ-1
Falcon 9 emerging from behind its contrail this afternoon over the coast of Florida.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Next Launch

Space Coast residents will not have to wait very long until the next launch: Starlink 6-69 is scheduled for today, with the launch window opening at 4:28 PM EST and extending to 7:44 PM. The payload is another group of Starlink satellites to join SpaceX’s constellation of data satellites.

  • Date: NET November 11, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX / NASA
  • Mission: Starlink 6-69
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral
  • Launch Window: 4:28 PM – 7:44 PM EST
  • Payload: Starlink satellites

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.

Falcon 9 ascending with the Koreasat 6A satellite on November 11, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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A relatively rare launch double-header may be on offer today, as SpaceX is planning to launch Koreasat-6A from Launch Complex 39A in the early afternoon, and later, the company plans to turn around and launch the Starlink 6-69 mission from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40.

For Koreasat, the launch window opens at 12:07 PM EST and extends to 4:07 PM, and the launch window for Starlink 6-69 opens at 4:02 PM EST and closes again at 7:44 PM the same day.

The Koreasat mission is scheduled to be a Return to Launch Site mission, meaning the Falcon 9 booster, B1067, will complete its flight at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, and as such, the Space Coast region can expect a sonic boom to herald the return of the rocket. Starlink 6-69 will land at sea about one of SpaceX’s automated spaceport drone ships, and that launch will not create any booms in the area.

For a preview of Starlink 6-69, please click here: SpaceX planning to launch Starlink 6-69. The rest of this preview will cover Koreasat 6A.

A Falcon Heavy booster returning to land.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Koresat 6A
  • Date: NET November 11, 2024
  • Launch Window:  12:07 – 4:07 PM EST*
  • Weather: 70% GO
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: Easterly
  • Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Booster Landing: Landing Zone 1
  • Payload: telecommunications
  • Destination: GEO

    * consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.

Payload

The mission’s payload is the Koreasat 6A spacecraft. Built by Thales Alenia Space, Koreasat 6A will provide satellite services through 20 transponders and another 6 for TV broadcasting. It is the planned replacement for the Koreasat 6 launched in 2010.

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force Launch Delta 45 has forecast a 30% probability of a violation of acceptable weather conditions through the launch window, meaning that they expect conditions to be 70% GO.

Via Space Launch Delta 45.
Retried 0900 November 11, 2024

Trajectory

Eastwards.

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: Koreasat 6A. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about fifteen 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

For a preview of Starlink 6-69, please click here: SpaceX planning to launch Starlink 6-69. The rest of this preview will cover Koreasat 6A.

Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center is offering viewing from the Apollo Saturn V Center, about four miles from the launch pad. Spectators will still need to pay admission and for parking.

For the launch, the best free viewing options are the Max Brewer Bridge, Space View Park, Rotary Riverview Park or Kennedy Park.

Playalinda Beach will be open for the launch. The normal US Park Service fees to enter Cape Canaveral National Seashore apply.

The best free options available for spectators to get great views of the landing: Jetty Park, the Banana River Bridge on FL 528 W or the southern Titusville parks on Washington Avenue / US-1 are your best bets.

The Space Bar will be open through the launch window. New York New York in Titusville will be open to roughly 7 PM, and is a great place to watch as well. Restaurants in Port Canaveral, specifically Gators Dockside, Fishlips and Grills Seafood should have good views after the rocket clears obstructions.

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