LC-39A

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
  • Payload: Supplies for ISS
  • Destination: LEO / ISS

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

The National Weather Service’s forecast for the Cape Canaveral Skid Strip, a site close to LC-39A is calling for, “A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76. East wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.”

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.

Launch Viewing: In Person

The best free options are available for spectators: the Max Brewer Bridge, Space View Park and Rotary Riverfront Park, all in Titusville.

The Space Bar will be open through the launch window.

Falcon 9 ascending earlier this summer.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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Falcon Heavy rises off of LC-39A early in the afternoon on October 14, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / TOT

NASA and SpaceX began Europa Clipper’s journey to Jupiter and its moon Europa aboard a Falcon Heavy this afternoon from Kennedy Space Center. Launch was at 12:06 PM EDT under bluebird skies and pleasant temperatures.

Falcon Heavy in flight on October 14, 2024 carrying the Europa Clipper probe for NASA. Photo: Charles Boyer / TOT

At 1:11 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of Europa Clipper, with the probe now heading towards Mars to begin its looping journey through the solar system.

Europa Clipper Has A Very Long Journey Ahead

Europa Clipper now begins a roughly six-year 1.8 billion mile journey to the Jovian system which will include two gravity assists and flybys around the Sun before it reaches its destination.

Once it arrives in its orbit around Jupiter, Europa Clipper will perform nearly fifty flybys of Europa, where its instruments will scan the Jovian moon’s oceans for potential signs of life. To date, this is the largest planetary probe NASA has ever flown, and in NASA’s estimation, Europa Clipper would cover an entire regulation basketball court.

Europa Clipper’s 5.5 year path to Jupiter.
Graphic: NASA

By The Numbers

Today’s launch was the eleventh Falcon Heavy launch, all from LC-39A. To date, each mission has been successful.

Today’s launch was the last Falcon Heavy slated to fly for this year and some months into 2025: the heavy lifter has the VIPER lunar rover, the NASA Lunar Gateway PPE & HALO mission along with two Space Force missions on the dock for next year, but this far in advance it is impossible to know when payloads will be ready.

This was the sixth and final flight for the two side-boosters, B1064 and B1065, which one year ago today supported NASA’s Psyche mission, as well as three missions for the US Space Force and one for Hughes Electronics.

Overall, it was the 184th orbital (and beyond) launch from historic Launch Complex 39A.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

Space fans in Florida won’t have to wait long for the next launch. Now that the FAA has cleared Falcon 9 to resume commercial Falcon family launches, SpaceX plans to resume Starlink launches from Space Launch Complex 40 overnight tonight when it launches Starlink 10-10. The launch window opens at 1:34 AM EDT and closes at 5:26 AM the same day.

  • Date: NET October 15, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 10-10
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 1:24 AM – 5:26 AM EDT
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
Falcon Heavy liftoff on October 14, 2024
Photo: Ed Cordero, Florida Media Now
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Falcon Heavy ascending earlier in 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / TOT

By Charles Boyer, October 13, 2024.

NASA and SpaceX plan to send the Europa Clipper probe on its way to the Jovian system aboard Falcon Heavy on Monday, October 14, 2024. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:06 PM EDT from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Europa Clipper
  • Date: NET October 14, 2024
  • Launch Window: 12:06 PM EDT
  • Weather: 95% Go on the primary launch day
  • Organization: NASA / SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon Heavy
  • Trajectory: Eastward
  • Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Booster Landing: none, all cores expended
  • Payload: the Europa Clipper probe
  • Destination: Jupiter

Should weather or technical reasons prevent the launch from proceeding Monday, additional opportunities exist to launch the probe every day until November 6. Each day, there is one instantaneous window for launch, meaning no long holds to wait for better conditions.

Due to performance requirements, the three Falcon cores will be expended, meaning that there will be no landings at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral or on drone ships stationed downrange.

Payload

Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It will study Europa, one of the Galilean moons, through a series of flybys while in orbit around Jupiter. Measuring some 100 feet from edge to edge, NASA states that the probe is roughly the size of a basketball court.

Artist’s depiction of the Europa Clipper probe with Jupiter to the rear.
Credit: JPL / NASA

Arrival at Jupiter orbit is planned for April 2030, and according to NASA, “In 2031 [Europa Clipper] will start making 49 science-focused flybys of Europa while looping around the gas giant. The orbit is designed to maximize the science Europa Clipper can conduct and minimize exposure to Jupiter’s notoriously intense radiation.”

Europa Clipper will be surveying for conditions suitable to support life during those flybys after scientists predicted that a salty ocean lies beneath Europa’s icy surface. Those oceans have more water than Earth’s oceans combined.

Europa
Photo: NASA

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 has listed a 5% Probability of Violation for tomorrow’s launch, which means that the weather is expected to be 95% GO at launch time.

Retrieved 13 OCT 2024 at 6PM EDT

Trajectory

Eastwards, relatively speaking. Europa is destined for a path to Jupiter roughly along the orbital plane of other planets, so it will take a path that lines up with the equator.

Online Viewing

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

NASA will have a livestream of the launch. NASA+ Europa Clipper

SpaceX will also have a livestream of the launch on their website: Europa Clipper. Coverage will start about about twenty minutes 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, NASA’s Europa Clipper site 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.

Liftoff of Falcon Heavy
Liftoff of Falcon Heavy of June 25, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Tot

Launch Viewing: In Person

This is a mid-day launch from LC-39A, and that means the best places to view the launch are in northern Titusville or on the Kennedy Space Center proper.

Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center is offering a “Feel The Heat” package from the Banana Creek Viewing Site, which is approximately 3.75 miles from the launch pad. Tickets are $250 per person. Should anyone choose to use this option, an early arrival at the Visitors Center is strongly advised.

Playalinda Beach is closed due to damage from Hurricane Milton. Via the National Park Service: “Canaveral National Seashore is including Apollo & Playalinda beaches within the boundary while we assess damage from Hurricane Milton for the safety of our visitors and staff.”

Northern Titusville Parks: Space View Park, Rotary Riverfront Park and other areas on US-1 North are excellent viewing spots.

Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach Pier, Jetty Park Pier will have indirect views, meaning that liftoff will not be visible, but after the rocket clears the pad and any ground obstructions, you will be able to see Falcon Heavy ascending clearly assuming there are no clouds between you and the rocket.

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A Falcon Heavy launching from Kennedy Space Center earlier this year.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

The launch schedule for the Europa Clipper mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy remains uncertain today after Hurricane Milton’s passing through the Space Coast region.

Effects of Hurricane Milton

Originally scheduled to launch on October 10, the launch was postponed in advance of Hurricane Milton’s approach and the payload and rocket were both secured for the approaching storm.

Today, a little more than a day after Milton’s surviving eye wall passed through the Space Coast region, NASA and SpaceX are checking for damage to the facilities on the base.

According to NASA, “Once the winds subsided to a safe level [yesterday], the center’s Ride Out Team and engineering teams began initial checkouts to ensure bridges are safe and useable. Later, a larger assessment team will thoroughly check the entire center.”

The eye of Hurricane Milton as it passed over the east coast of Florida on October 10th.
Data: National Weather Service, KLMB weather radar, Tilt 1.

Part of that check will of course be the LC-39A infrastructure used to launch Falcon Heavy, as well as other buildings and infrastructure necessary to support the launch. That will also include areas not on Kennedy Space Center proper, for example, the Space Launch Delta 45 supports launch tracking, safety and weather, and they too much give the all-clear prior to a launch. (UPDATE: Space Launch Delta 45 issued an all-clear at 2PM October 11)

From the US Space Force, post-Milton.
Photo: Space Launch Delta 45

The eye of the storm went offshore somewhere near Titusville and Kennedy Space Center about 4 AM EDT on Thursday, but the region continued to experience sustained winds well into the day before finally subsiding late in the afternoon.

Extremely Tentative Plans For Sunday

Neither NASA nor SpaceX have officially announced a launch date for Europa Clipper, with NASA saying yesterday that “The agency’s Europa Clipper launch team will schedule an official launch date when teams from NASA and SpaceX are able to perform their assessments, and confirm it’s safe to launch. Teams are working to protect launch opportunities no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 13.”

The agency added that the launch window for this mission extends until November 6th.

Weather should not be a problem for the launch team from Sunday onward into next week, as the general weather forecast for the region calls for sunny skies.

National Weather Long-Term forecast for Cape Canaveral
Retrieved Friday, October 11th at 12:45 PM EDT

Launch Licensing?

The FAA currently has a hold on the Falcon family launches while the company investigates a second-stage anomaly with Crew 9, but that will not be a problem for this launch as it will be licensed by NASA.

Talk of Titusville reached out to the FAA for clarification, and they replied, “An FAA license is not required for space activities the government carries out for the government, such as some NASA or Department of Defense launches. The Europa Clipper mission is being done by and for NASA.”

As such the FAA’s required investigation will not be a factor for this launch.

Update 7PM EDT 11 OCT 24: Falcon 9 Has Been Cleared For Flight By FAA. This should answer any license questions about Falcon Heavy as well.

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Falcon 9 lifts off from SLC-40 on September 17, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX has responded to the announcement of $633,000 in fines from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for alleged safety violations during two Florida launches last year.

In a letter to leaders of the relevant Congressional committees that manage commercial space activities and their subsequent regulation, SpaceX informed the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transport (AST) of what it labels as “relatively minor license updates, with no bearing on public safety” with sufficient notice that the FAA should have been able to process the changes long before any alleged violations took place.

SpaceX also reiterated its commitment to safety multiple times in the letter. This is borne out by its very long record of conducting launches safely, not only in terms of the general public’s safety but also the safety of the operational launch pads in Florida and the federal facilities they are within.

Recap of Proposed Fines

To recap, the FAA proposed fines for what it deemed as violations of SpaceX’s launch licenses:

  1. That SpaceX operated a launch using an unapproved communications plan for the June 18, 2023 PSN MFS Satria launch.
    • The launch was conducted from the company’s new launch control center at HangarX on Roberts Road at KSC rather than their previous LCC located adjacent to the Space Florida’s offices just outside the security gates at the south end of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
  2. That the company did not conduct required launch readiness polling two hours prior to the PSN MFS Satria launch.
  3. That the company operated an unapproved propellant farm for launch from LC-39A.

Here is the FAA notice of Proposed Civil Penalty sent to SpaceX on September 17, 2024. You can read it directly at the link above, or below:

afn-foia-20240917-case-2023WA990031_0Download

Communications Plan / Launch Control Center Move

In response, SpaceX stated that they had given adequate notice of the communications plan changes and that the FAA was unreasonably slow in processing the submitted changes. The company noted that it had sent the revisions on May 2, 2023, that it asked for feedback and progress updates on several occasions and that when the FAA stated there were “too many [changes]” for it to complete the review of the new plan by the targeted date.

In response, SpaceX states that they submitted a greatly simplified plan revision that changed only the LCC location. They add that the FAA failed to review this new plan by saying that “SpaceX had not provided it with enough notice” — despite the original plan being submitted some six weeks earlier.

T-Minus Two Hour Launch Readiness Poll

The FAA alleged that SpaceX did not conduct a required readiness poll at the T-minus two-hour mark for the PSN MFS Satria launch on June 18, 2023.

SpaceX’s reply was simple: there is no requirement in the regulations for a two-hour poll and that it conducted the necessary readiness poll later in the countdown prior to propellant loading on the launch vehicle.

Propellant Farm

In their notification of the proposed fines, the FAA stated that SpaceX utilized an unapproved propellant farm at Launch Complex 39-A prior to the Echostar 23 launch.

SpaceX states that it moved the propellant farm to a safer location inside the security perimeter of LC-39A (while KSC is secured, the launch pads are fenced with a higher level of security within) the pad area. They also noted that the move had been approved by Federal Range Safety authorities prior to its first use, and finally that the FAA approved a waiver for this move less than a month later prior to the Crew-7 launch.

They also point out that the FAA is “on console” (in the launch control loop) for these launches and despite the company using an “unapproved” propellant farm that the FAA raised no objection and allowed the launch to proceed.

SpaceX Implies The Need For Congressional Intervention

By sending their responses to Congress, it is clear that SpaceX is deeply frustrated at the pace the FAA is processing launch licenses and license updates. They say as much when they say that “for well over a year now, SpaceX has voiced its concerns with the FAA’s inability to keep pace with the commercial space industry.”

Without saying so in the letter, it is also clear that SpaceX is calling on Congress to act, either by providing the FAA with more resources to process launch licenses in a more timely manner, or to streamline the license process in order for it to move faster, or most likely, both.

Whether Congress will act on this remains to be seen.

SpaceX’s September 18 Letter

For those interested in reading the letter SpaceX counsel sent to Congress:

Note: letter was retrieved from SpaceX’s X account on September 19, 2024.

Read more

SpaceX plans to launch Polaris Dawn early tomorrow 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, September 11th at the same times.

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SpaceX Crew Dragon 'Resilience' on the launch pad
Polaris Dawn on the launch pad.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX plans to launch Polaris Dawn early tomorrow 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, September 11th at the same times.

Falcon 9 on the launch mount at LC-39A with a storm approaching from the west this morning.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

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.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Polaris Dawn
  • Date: NET September 10, 2024
  • Launch Window: 03:38 AM – 07:09 AM EDT*
  • Weather: 40% 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 ‘ Just Read the Instructions’
  • Payload: Crew Dragon ‘Resilience’ with four crew members
  • Destination: LEO

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

Weather

The US Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron has slightly less than a 50/50 chance that weather will be acceptable for tomorrow morning’s launch attempt, rating the Probability Of Violation at 60%. They also list moderate concerns through the ascent corridor, where good conditions are critical in the event of a launch abort.

via the 45th Weather Squadron. Retrieved 3:00 PM EDT September 9, 2024

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

The Polaris Dawn crew, L-R: Anna Menon, Sarah Gillis, Scott “Kidd” Poteet and Jared Isaacman.
Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Program

Resilience will be familiar to Jared Isaacman, he flew aboard it during the Inspiration 4 mission.

Polaris Dawn's Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon on the launch mount at LC-39A today at Kennedy Space Center.
Polaris Dawn’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon on the launch mount at LC-39A today at Kennedy Space Center.
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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