NASA

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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Crew-8 aboard Crew Dragon arriving at ISS on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Crew-8 aboard Crew Dragon arriving at ISS on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Photo: NASA

NASA has announced that they are scheduling Crew-8 from the International Space Station today so that the four astronauts comprising the crew can begin their return to Earth:

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 23, for the agency’s Crew-8 mission to depart from the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. An undocking on Wednesday would result in a splashdown on Friday, Oct. 25.

Forecasters have seen improvement in expected weather at some of the landing sites off the coast of Florida and continue to monitor conditions while considering splashdown sites and exact timing.

NASA, October 22, 2024

The agency added that there is another weather briefing this morning. The specific splashdown location has not been announced, but will either be in Florida’s waters in the Gulf of Mexico or off of the eastern Florida coast.

The last two weeks of weather have not been very kind to spaceflight schedules here in Florida, with hurricane-related or wind-related launch scrubs, and delays in the return of Crew-8 from ISS. Last month, the Polaris Dawn crew’s return was delayed due to weather as well.

Fortunately, forecasts seem to be turning in favor of launches and landings. The 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 reported in their launch forecast for Starlink 6-61 (also scheduled for Wednesday, October 23) that “Launch conditions improve for Thursday as [a hgh pressure] ridge builds over the Florida peninsula, relaxing wind speeds and ushering in even drier air. Weather will be very favorable with a negligible risk of any weather violations [for launching.]” Presumably the calmer skies will also be of benefit to Crew-8’s astronauts.

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Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from left to right, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Michael Barratt, pilot; Matthew Dominick, commander; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; are photographed inside the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a dress rehearsal on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in preparation for the Crew-8 mission. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 is the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station and the ninth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A is scheduled for 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1.
Crew 8 Arriving At Kennedy Space Center in February, 2024
Crew 8 Arriving At Kennedy Space Center in February, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will continue to stay aboard ISS through the week as they await better weather in the Crew Dragon landing zones off of the Florida coast.

“Weather conditions near the multiple splashdown sites off Florida’s coast remain unfavorable for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission from the International Space Station. Forecasts remain marginal for an undocking on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and Wednesday, Oct. 23. If weather conditions improve, NASA and SpaceX will target no earlier than 9:05 p.m. EDT, Oct. 22, for undocking from the space station. Based on the current forecast, conditions are expected to improve as the week progresses.”

NASA, October 21, 2024

Originally scheduled to return to Earth on October 7, Crew 8’s Dragon capsule Endeavour was slated to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on October 13. However, poor weather in potential recovery zones postponed that departure, and for the past two weeks, the crew has been awaiting better conditions.

Seas have been 6-8 feet through this period, which has seen a hurricane pass through the region and a strong front boundary afterward, stirring up strong winds and choppy seas. Small Craft Advisories have been an almost standard feature for the Florida coastline during the period, and so far, those conditions have shown little sign of relenting. NASA managers are meeting again tomorrow to discuss the weather outlook, according to the Commercial Crew office.

The forecast for the coastal waters of Florida are not encouraging, at least in the early part of the week:

East Coast of Florida: High pressure is forecast to remain over the eastern U.S. through mid-week, resulting in a prolonged period of moderate to fresh east northeast winds. The long fetch of winds over the Atlantic will produce poor to hazardous boating conditions into late week. Isolated, onshore-moving showers will remain possible into Friday.

Gulf of Mexico: Cautionary conditions remain across all Gulf waters today. Those conditions will persist in the offshore waters tonight while northeast winds begin a slow decrease in the nearshore waters. By Tuesday, winds throughout the northeast Gulf waters will relax to more moderate levels heading into midweek with seas falling to 1-2 feet.

National Weather Service, October 21, 2024

ISS. Date unknown.
Credit: NASA
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NASA’s Commercial Crew office released its high-level plan for 2025 today. It has few surprises, with two SpaceX Commercial Crew missions, and offers the slightest of updates for Boeing’s Starliner program and holds out the possibility of a Starliner flight next year.

SpaceX Commercial Crew Flights in 2025

Crew 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on September 28, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Crew-10
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is scheduled for February 2025.

NASA Astronaut Anne McClain will be the mission commander, NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers will be the pilot mission specialists JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will be the mission specialists. This mission will be the second spaceflight for McClain and Onishi, and the first for Ayers and Peskov.

Crew-11
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 is targeted for no earlier than July of next year, but that may be adjusted because of operational needs — resupply missions on docking ports, etc. NASA will announce the four-person crew at a later date.

There is speculation that the two members of Crew-9 who were taken off the flight to accommodate Boeing Starliner Crewed Flight Test astronauts will be assigned to this flight, but at this point in time, that is just rumor and has no basis in official facts released by the agency.

Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman were deep into the training cycle for the Crew-9, which presumably gives them a headstart. Still, ultimately, Chief of the Astronaut Office Joe Acaba and other NASA officials will make the call. When that information will be released to the public is unknown.

Boeing Starliner

Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Here is where today’s release gets really interesting: NASA says that, “The timing and configuration of Starliner’s next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing’s path to system certification is established. This determination will include considerations for incorporating Crew Flight Test lessons learned, approvals of final certification products, and operational readiness.”

“Meanwhile, NASA is keeping options on the table for how best to achieve system certification, including windows of opportunity for a potential Starliner flight in 2025.”

To fly in 2025, Boeing and its contractors will need to fix the issues that dogged the Crewed Flight Test this year, namely overheating thrusters, helium leaks, and potentially degraded seals (this was seen in ground testing during the investigations of Starliner CFT).

To do that, Boeing and NASA engineers must finalize their data analyses if they still need to do so. From there, Boeing and its subcontractors can begin designing and fabricating any hardware changes and qualifying those for human spaceflight. Externally, Boeing seems optimistic that they can do those things in 2025. Whether that happens remains to be seen, given that aerospace projects are often delayed.

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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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Ever the masters of threading the weather needle, SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 on its way to orbit and the Hera probe on its way to the Didymos binary asteroid system that was impacted by NASA’s DART probe on September 26, 2022.

Falcon 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on October 7, 2022
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Today’s flight was the first Falcon 9 to fly since the Crew 9 second-stage anomaly. The flight was licensed by the FAA because the second stage is not planned to reenter Earth’s atmosphere, making the question of public safety moot.

A view of SLC-40 and Falcon 9, only eight minutes apart on October 7, 2024. On the left, the rocket was barely visible from two miles away due to the rain.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Rain threatened to interfere with the planned launch all morning, with steady rains falling and steely gray overcast skies in the Space Coast region. With only twenty-odd minutes to liftoff, a misty drizzle fell in the region of Space Launch Complex 40. Skies lifted just in time, however, allowing SpaceX to once again beat the weather odds on a day where it looked like that was the least likely outcome.

Perhaps Jessica Jensen, Vice President, Customer Operations and Integration of SpaceX put it best when she said on X.com that “SpaceX has a motto to “never give up a day” no matter how many constraints are against us.” They didn’t, and the launch went right on schedule.

Didymos, the destination for the Hera probe, is shown in this graphic from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Credit: JOL / NASA

Liftoff and ascent appeared to be nominal throughout, with Falcon 9 entering the clouds only seconds after launching. Booster B1061 completed its 23rd and final mission successfully, and the second stage of Falcon 9 appeared to be nominal throughout. A little more than one hour and fifteen minutes after launching, SpaceX completed their portion of this mission successfully when the Hera probe was deployed.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

NASA and SpaceX have moved the launch of Falcon Heavy and the Europa Clipper mission from October 10 to NET Saturday, October 12th at 12:19 PM due to Hurricane Milton, which is expected to pass over the Space Coast region Wednesday night going into Thursday.

The Monday, October 7, 2024 Hurricane Advisory from the National Hurricane Center has Milton’s eye wall passing just north of the Kennedy Space Center area.
Graphic: National Hurrican Center / NOAA
  • Date: NET October 12, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX / NASA
  • Mission: Europa Clipper
  • Rocket: Falcon Heavy
  • Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Launch Window: 04:50 AM – 08:50 AM EDT
  • Payload: 12:19 PM
Falcon 9 and Hera disappearing into the clouds on October 7, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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