SpaceX returns to action tonight as it plans to launch a Falcon 9 carrying two uncrewed lunar landers as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program. The 44-minute launch window opens at 1:11 AM EST.
SpaceX rolled Falcon 9 to its launch pad at LC-39A Tuesday morning. Photo: Richard Gallagher / Florida Media Now
Tonight’s Falcon 9 Booster is B1085, which will be flying for the fifth time. After providing the initial boost for the payload, B1085 plans to touchdown on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, which is positioned downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
Weather is predicted to be 90% GO during the launch window.
The 45the Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45’s Launch Mission Execution Forecast for January 15 and 16. Retrieved 12:00 PM 01/14/2024
The trajectory is typical for missions to cislunar space:
Payloads
Firefly Blue Ghost Lunar Lander
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is designed to deliver a suite of scientific instruments and commercial payloads to the Moon’s surface. Developed under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, Blue Ghost aims to demonstrate innovative technologies while advancing lunar science.
Joining Blue Ghost is the Hakuto-R lunar lander, developed by iSpace, a Japanese company dedicated to expanding humanity’s presence on the Moon. Hakuto-R is part of iSpace’s bold vision to establish a lunar economy through cargo delivery services and resource utilization.
Artist’s rendering of HAKUTO ‘Resilience’ on the lunar surface. Credit: iSpace
Key objectives for Hakuto-R include:
Demonstrating landing and operational capabilities on the lunar surface.
Delivering payloads for commercial customers.
Advancing technologies to enable sustainable lunar operations.
For more details about Hakuto-R and iSpace’s ambitions, visit their official website.
iSpace infographic on the key milestones for the HAKUTO MISSION 2 ‘Resilience’ lander. Click the graphic to enlarge. Credit: iSpace
SpaceX launched two satellites for Luxembourgish satellite company SES today aboard a Falcon 9. Liftoff was at 5:26 PM EST (22:26 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and into unsettled skies with storms lingering in the Space Coast region.
Falcon 9 illuminated the cloud bottoms as it rose towards space today. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX chose to delay a liftoff attempt until the end of the launch window that opened at 3:59 PM EST and closed again at 5:26 PM, probably because of showers, potential lightning and/or cumulus clouds in the area.
Storms were rolling in from the southeast bringing rain, wind and some thunder
Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1090 earned its first soot when it completed its first mission successfully by touching down safely offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’ offshore in the Atlantic. JRTI and B1090 will return to Port Canaveral, where B1090 will be offloaded and returned to Hangar X for preparation for its next flight.
Booster B1090 made a successful debut today. Note the lack of soot, that is deposited during return to land operations. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Payload
O3b mPower 7 & 8 are two telecommunications satellites in a planned constellation of eleven when completed. The pair were built by Boeing, and are operated by SES, a company headquarted in Luxembourg.
According to SES, “O3b mPOWER is SES’s second-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) system located 8,000km above Earth. To date, SES has launched six out of 13 O3b mPOWER high-throughput and low-latency satellites and has built an extensive ground infrastructure around the world. The system started providing global connectivity services in April 2024.”
SES rendering of a O3b mPOWER satellite in orbit. Graphic: SES
Launch Replay
Next Launch
Date: NET December 20, 2024
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: 4x Astranis MicroGEO
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the SXM-9 satellite for Sirius-XM today. Liftoff was at 11:10 AM EST from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center and into hazy but blue skies over Florida.
December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Around 8.25 minutes later, Falcon 9 booster B1076 touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, successfully concluding its 19th mission. ‘Just Read The Instructions’ had been pre-positioned offshore downrange and will now return to Port Canaveral where B1076 will be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X for inspection and, presumably, preparation for its 20th flight.
Falcon 9 with SXM-9 lifts off on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleFalcon 9 with SXM-9 ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleA vapor cone on the fairings of Falcon 9 with SXM-9 aboard as it ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleFalcon 9 with SXM-9 ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleFalcon 9 with SXM-9 ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleFalcon 9 with SXM-9 lifts off on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
While the booster was landing at sea on its target drone ship, the second stage of Falcon 9 continued to orbit, and achieved its initial orbit about the same time as the booster was touching down below on the JRTI. At 11:45 AM EST, SpaceX announced that the launch was a success when it said that SXM-9 had been successfully deployed.
SXM-9 is a replacement for the failed SXM-7, which was launched in December 2020 and successfully reached geostationary orbit. During the commissioning and initial testing of SXM-7 on orbit, a payload failure occurred and it was declared a total loss in February 2021. SXM-9 will ascend under its own power to its final orbital location in Geosynchronous Orbit, a prograde, low inclination orbit around the Earth having a period of 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
On Sunday, December 8, 2024, SpaceX is planning to launch the Starlink 12-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral. The launch window opens at 12:10 AM EST and closes at 4:10 AM the same day. Effectively, the launch is late Saturday evening, so include that into any plans you may be making to attend or view the launch.
Date: NET December 8, 2024
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: Starlink 12-5
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, CCSFS
Launch Window: 12:10 – 4:10 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.
SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-76 mission to low-Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 late Tuesday evening from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 11:41 PM EST According to the company, 24 Starlink satellites were deployed successfully about an hour after liftoff.
SpaceX’s livestream offered viewers a glimpse of liftoff as seen from the rocket. Photo: SpaceX
Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, BoosterB1078 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ to complete its fifteenth mission successfully, while the second stage and payload continued to low Earth orbit. At about the same time the booster landed, the initial orbit for the payload was achieved, with a short orbit rounding burn just before payload deployment.
B1078 flew today 28 days after its Starlink 10-13 mission on October 30th, twenty-eight days ago. Its previous flights include the mPOWER-B, BlueBird-1, USSF-124, Crew-6 missions and now has completed 11 Starlink flights as well. Now safely aboard ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, the booster will return to Port Canaveral, where SpaceX will unload it and transport it to their Hangar X facility for preparation for its next flight.
At 12:49 AM EDT, SpaceX confirmed a successful deployment of the payload of Starlink satellites and a successful end to the flight.
22nd launch from Launch Complex 39A so far in 2022
Launch Replay
Next Launch
After the Thanksgiving holiday, SpaceX gets back to business on the last day of the November, when it plans to launch another group of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit.
Lather, rinse, repeat: SpaceX is currently launching Starlink missions twice a week from the Eastern Range. Their rapid pace of launches presents quite a lot of viewing opportunities for visitors and residents alike.
Date: NET November 30, 2024
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: Starlink 6-65
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Cape Canaveral
Launch Window: 12:00 – 4:00 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.
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
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 / ToTFalcon 9 lifts off to start the Optus-X/TD7 mission on November 17th, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
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.
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.’
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.
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:
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
SpaceX and NASA are planning to launch out a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station this evening aboard a Falcon 9. Launch is scheduled for 9:29 PM EST from Pad LC-39A, in an instantaneous window. The booster used for the mission will return to Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1, several miles south of the launch site. As such, the Space Coast can expect a sonic boom to reverberate across the area at around 9:37 PM.
Booster B1083 will make its fourth flight this evening, and Cargo Dragon C208, will make its fifth flight on this mission. B0183 was first flown for the Crew 8 mission in March of this year.
Cargo Dragon is expected to arrive Tuesday morning after a fast trip to ISS, and will dock at the Station’s Harmony mode.
At A Glance
Mission: NASA SpX CRS-31
Date: NET November 4, 2024
Launch Window: 9:29 PM EDT*
Weather: 70% GO
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9
Trajectory: Northeast
Launch Site: LC39A, Kennedy Space Center
Booster Landing: Landing Zone 1, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
A previous Falcon 9 mission poised to visit ISS on LC-39A earlier this year. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Payload
According to NASA, the payload for tonight’s mission includes:
Crew supplies: 961 kg (2,119 lb)
Science investigations: 917 kg (2,022 lb)
Spacewalk equipment: 171 kg (377 lb)
Vehicle hardware: 238 kg (525 lb)
Computer resources: 20 kg (44 lb)
NASA also says, “In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment, to examine solar wind and how it forms. Dragon also delivers Antarctic moss to observe the combined effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity on plants. Other investigations aboard include a device to test cold welding of metals in microgravity, and an investigation that studies how space impacts different materials.”
Weather
The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force Launch Delta 45 has forecast a 30% probability of violating acceptable weather conditions through the launch window, meaning that they expect conditions to be 70% GO.
Primary concerns are winds, cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation in the Cape Canaveral/KSC area.
With a one-in-five chance of showers and breezes at or near the limit prescribed in the launch rules for this flight, it may well come down to the last few minutes before T-0 before a final decision on weather can be made.
Trajectory
The trajectory for tonight’s flight is northeastwards, which is typical for all ISS-bound missions that are launched from the Eastern Range.
Online Viewing
Live launch coverage will begin at 9:10 p.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website.
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.
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