Kennedy Space Center

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.

By The Numbers

  • 123rd SpaceX launch this year
  • 435th SpaceX launch all time
  • 51st consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch
  • 378th Falcon Family Booster landing
  • 87th landing on ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’
  • 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.

Read more

Starship Heavy lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas to start the IFT-6 mission. Photo: Richard Gallagher, FMN

Some weeks, they say, are better than others. This week was one of those better ones, as there has been major activities and milestones set this week:

  • SpaceX flies Starship Heavy on sixth test flight
  • Blue Origin raises New Glenn to vertical for final tests prior to maiden launch
  • Artemis II assembly begins in the VAB at Kennedy Space Center
  • SpaceX flies four Falcon 9 missions in four days, and is nearing its 400th rocket launch
  • Blue Origin launches New Shepard NS-28 with two Winter Park residents and Emily Calendrelli aboard.

That’s a lot of activity, and a lot of what happened this week sets up some exciting times in the future.

Read more

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
Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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
Read more

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
Read more