Space

Axiom 3 at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. The Ax-4 crew will fly aboard a similar spacecraft.
Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville

Axiom Space announced the crew for its planned Axiom 4 mission today. The company’s release stated that it is partnering with India, through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Poland, with European Space Agency (ESA) support, and Hungary to send three national astronauts to the space station on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the company’s next commercial human spaceflight mission to the orbiting laboratory.

Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary will make up the crew for the flight, Axiom said.

“Ax-4 represents Axiom Space’s continued efforts to build opportunity for countries to research, innovate, test, and engage with people around the world while in low-Earth orbit,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space.

Suffredini added that, “This mission broadens horizons for nations with ambitious goals of advancing scientific, technological, and economic pursuits. Our collaboration with ESA for a second time and the inclusion of Hungary and India underscores Axiom Space’s ability to cultivate global partners, expand the scope of exploration, and open up new avenues to grow a global space economy.”

Peggy Whitson

Dr. Peggy Whitson
Photo: NASA

Dr. Peggy Whitson (Rice University, 1986) is one of the most experienced astronauts in spaceflight history, having already completed four previous spaceflights. She has spent more than 675 days in space and has flown on the Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and Crew Dragon on previous flights.

Her 289-day flight was the longest single space flight by a woman until Christina Koch’s 328-day flight eclipsed her record. Dr. Whitson is also oldest woman spacewalker ever and holds the record for the most spacewalks by a woman. She has conducted ten EVAs during her career, totalling over sixty hours outside in the darkness of space.

Dr. Whitson is 64 years old, and hails from Beaconsfield, Iowa. Axiom 4 will be her fifth spaceflight.

“I look forward to commanding my second commercial human spaceflight mission with Axiom Space,” said Peggy Whitson, Ax-4 commander. “With a culturally diverse crew, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also fostering international collaboration. Our previous missions set the stage. Axiom Mission 1 was the first all-private mission to the space station, Axiom Mission 2 launched the first Saudi female to space, and Axiom Mission 3 included both the first Turkish astronaut and first ESA astronaut to fly on a commercial space mission. Now, with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing even more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity’s reach among the stars.”

Shubhanshu Shukla

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.
(Photo: X/@IAF_MCC) 

Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, on October 10, 1985, wing commander Shubhanshu Shukla is an alumnus of India’s National Defence Agency, a joint-forces training academy for the Indian military.

Shukla was commissioned on June 17, 2006 in the Indian Air Force. He is a Fighter Combat Leader and a Test Pilot with approximately 2000 hours of flying experience.

Shukla will be India’s second gaganyatri – the Indian term for astronaut –  in space. Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was aboard the Indo-Soviet crewed mission in 1984, making him the first from his country to go space. This will be ISRO’s first crewmember to fly on an American flight destined for the International Space Station.

ISRO is also independently working on advanced development of crewed flight capability. ISRO’s Human Rated Launch Vehicle (or Gaganyaan) is an ongoing program developing the technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Gaganyaan is ostensibly near its first of two uncrewed test flights, as the first flight’s latest projected launch is sometime this year. ISRO hopes to launch its first crew in 2025.

Gaganyaan capsule.
Photo: ISRO

Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla have been named for India’s first crewed flight of Gaganyaan, and undoubtedly, Shubhanshu Shukla’s training, flight experience and lessons learned from flying Crew Dragon on Axiom 4 will be of great aid to ISRO’s efforts to bring the Gaganyaan program to full fruition with a successful first mission.

Sławosz Uznański

Sławosz Uznański
Photo: ESA

Born in Łódź, Poland in 1984, Dr. Sławosz Uznański is a Polish engineer working at the European Space Agency (ESA) as a project astronaut since 2023. He was formerly at The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN.)

In 2011, Uznański received a doctor’s degree with distinction from the University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II for thesis on radiation-tolerant designs for space applications.

He will be the second Pole to space, following Mirosław Hermaszewski in 1978. Hermaszewski flew on the Soviet Soyuz 30 spacecraft, and spent nearly eight days in Earth orbit.

Tibor Kapu

Tibor Kapu
Photo: BME

Tibor Kapu is a 32-year-old engineer who graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in his native Hungary.

He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry on batteries for hybrid cars and radiation protection for astronauts. For the last two years, he has worked on space radiation protection at Remred Space Technologies in the space industry. As a parachutist, he has 38 jumps under his harness.

Kapu will be the second Hungarian astronaut, and like Shubhanshu Shukla, he will be the first from his country to fly on an American spacecraft to ISS. Forty-four years ago, Bertalan Farkas became the first Hungarian astronaut. Farkas flew Soyuz 36 and docked for over 26 days at the Soviet Salyut-6 space station.

Astronauts In Training

The Axiom 4 crew have arrived in Houston, according to Axiom Space, and will now begin training for their flight, slated for NET October 2024. They will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon from Florida. Peggy Whitson will lead the training.

Axiom 3 liftoff in January 2024. The Ax-4 crew will fly a similar spacecraft NET October 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen being encapsulated inside the SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing as it prepares to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for the 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services for NASA. The mission will carry 8,200 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.
Photo: NASA

(Article updated to include information from NASA and Dr. Jonathon McDowell 3PM August 5)

After a picture-perfect launch Sunday morning, Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee) spacecraft encountered issues with its solar power array and its single engine.

NASA announced yesterday that there were issues with the solar arrays that powered the spacecraft, and that it had burned its first orbital correction engine burn intended to put Cygnus on a path towards ISS.

The solar array issue has been rectified, according to NASA

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft completed the deployment of its two solar arrays at 2:21 p.m. EDT after launching at 11:02 a.m. Aug. 4 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to the International Space Station for NASA.

NASA, August 4, 2024

Of equal concern is a problem with Cygnus’s engine, which experienced low pressure during its planned firing:

Shortly after launch, the spacecraft missed its first burn slated for 11:44 a.m. due to a late entry to burn sequencing. Known as the targeted altitude burn, or TB1, it was rescheduled for 12:34 p.m., but aborted the maneuver shortly after the engine ignited due to a slightly low initial pressure state. There is no indication the engine itself has any problem at this time.

Cygnus is at a safe altitude, and Northrop Grumman engineers are working a new burn and trajectory plan. The team aims to achieve the spacecraft’s original capture time on station, which is currently slated for 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

NASA, August 4, 2024

August 5 Update From NASA, Dr. Jonathon McDowell and NASA

Around 3PM EDT, NASA gave the following update:

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft continues on its way to the International Space Station following launch at 11:02 a.m. EDT Aug. 4 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Cygnus spacecraft completed the deployment of its two solar arrays at 2:21 p.m. the same day.

The Cygnus spacecraft has completed two delta velocity burns, and it remains on track for a capture by the space station’s robotic arm slated for 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The spacecraft is in a safe trajectory, and all other systems are operating normally.

Shortly after launch on Sunday, the spacecraft performed as designed by cancelling a scheduled engine burn due to a slightly low initial pressure reading flagged by the Cygnus onboard detection system. Engineers at Northrop Grumman’s mission control center in Dulles, Virginia evaluated the pressure reading, confirmed it was acceptable and re-worked the burn plan to arrive at the space station on the originally planned schedule.

NASA, August 5, 2024

Dr. Jonathon McDowell of the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and perhaps the most authoritative source concerning orbital objects also offered this update shortly after three today.

From all appearances, Northrup Grumman, IHI Aerospace and NASA have rectified the issues that seemed to imperil the NG-21 mission on its first full day in space. Hopefully, Cygnus’s problems are behind it, and the spacecraft will bring some much-needed supplies and items to ISS as planned.

About Cygnus’s Engine

Cygnus is an American cargo spacecraft designed for expendable logistics missions to the International Space Station (ISS). It features two main components: the Service Module (SM) and the Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM). The Service Module includes 32 thrusters for attitude control and a BT-4 main engine, which burns 800 kg (1,800 lb) of hypergolic propellants—hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.

Photo: satcatalog.com / IHI Aerospace

The BT-4 engine, a pressure-fed liquid rocket engine, is developed and manufactured by IHI Aerospace of Japan. IHI Aerospace has manufactured and delivered over 200 bipropellant thrusters for spacecraft since the start of development in the 1980s.

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Despite on a 10% GO forecast and storms closing in from a distance, Falcon 9 flies another perfect mission.

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee) to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff was at 11:02 AM EDT under variable skies that showed a strong chance of storms coming in shortly afterwards.

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Falcon 9 ascending
Falcon 9 and Northrup Grumman’s NG-21 Cygnus cargo capsule lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on August 4. 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Despite on a 10% GO forecast and storms closing in from a distance, Falcon 9 flies another perfect mission.

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee) to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff was at 11:02 AM EDT under variable skies that showed a strong chance of storms coming in shortly afterwards.

Roughly seven and a half minutes after liftoff, Booster B1080 made a meteoric descent before firing up three of its Merlin engines and settling down for a soft landing back at the Cape at Landing Zone 1. At that moment, a pair of sonic booms heralded the Space Coast of booster’s return from its tenth flight.

At 11:18 AM EDT, SpaceX announced a successful separation of Cygnus from Falcon 9, ending their mission portion having had yet another good day.

Via X.com

Cygnus will not travel to ISS, and is under Northrup Grumman and NASA’s control. It is expected to arrive around 03:10 AM EDT. NASA TV will begin coverage 01:30 AM EDT on its broadcast and streaming channels.

Launch Replay

NASA / SpaceX coverage

Next Launch

SpaceX will launch the Starlink 8-3 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral NET Wednesday at 08:59 AM EDT

  • Date: NET August 3, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 8-3
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 08:59 AM – 12:59 PM EDT
  • Payload: Another 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites
Falcon 9 “punches the core” and creates a vapor cone from its shock wave as it approaches Max-Q.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 Booster B1080.10 starts its landing burn with a puff of green smoke and the fire of three Merlin engines.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

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

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Falcon 9 awaiting launch at SLC-40 in Cape Canaveral
Falcon 9 sitting on the launch mount at Space Launch Complex on August 3. 2024. After a beautiful sunrise, conditions slowly deteriorated Satruday. The launch was scrubbed at around 10AM later the same day.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Official Forecast Has Low Confidence In A Clean Range Weatherwise

After Saturday’s scrub, SpaceX stated it would attempt to launch Falcon 9 and the Northrup Grumman Cygnuns NG-21 mission towards the International Space Station Sunday morning.

“SpaceX is targeting Sunday, August 4 for Falcon 9’s launch of Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus mission (NG-21) to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 11:02 a.m. ET.”

Why Saturday’s Attempt Was Scrubbed

About 90 minutes before Saturday’s planned liftoff at 11:21 AM EDT, a line of heavy thundershowers brushed over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Launch Complex 40. Another squall line with anvil clounds with potential lightning was heading towards the Cape when mission managers made the call to waive off the attempt for the day.

The launch window was instantaneous, meaning SpaceX could not delay the launch time to let the storms pass.

Weather Forecasters Not Confident For Sunday

The 45th Weather Squadron is pessimistically rating Sunday’s chances at only 10% GO:

Via 45th Weather Squadron
Retrieved August 3. 2024 02:00 PM EDT

Their discussion is nearly as dismal as the launch chances: “The Space Coast will remain on the eastern side of the system upon its slow approach Sunday, with fast moving squalls bringing numerous rounds of heavy rain and strong winds. As a result, the Probability of Violation (POV) is very high for the initial launch window Sunday morning,” says the 45th.

“For the backup launch window Monday morning, the weather will remain poor with a similar POV as deep tropical moisture lingering as the Tropical System slides into the Florida Big Bend and Northeast Florida. Winds will remain strong with tropical squalls moving through Central Florida.”

But, it’s Florida, and a one in ten chance can end being all that SpaceX needs to successfully launch and land Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Stay tuned.

Launch Preview

Here’s yesterday’s full preview of the NG-21 mission. All information is still accurate, except for the launch times and weather forecast (those have been updated here).

The Belt of Venus (Earth’s shadow) is descending rapidly as the sun starts to rise Saturday morning.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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A dawn view of the busiest rocket launch pad in the world, Space Launch Complex 40. A Falcon 9 rocket is 229.6 ft (70 m) tall and 12 ft (3.7 m) in diameter, or 21.2 stories — it would be a tall building in most city skylines. Unfortunately, a line of thunderstorms forced a launch scrub on this day, but still, being at a launch pad is a special thing any time.

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Falcon 9 lifts off in January lofting the Northrup Grumman NG-21 payload towards ISS.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Update: 12 PM EDT Saturday

A wave of thunderstorms passed through the Cape Canaveral area around 90 minutes before liftoff Saturday, forcing SpaceX to stand down from its launch attempt today.

The company said in a latter post on X.com that they would try again tomorrow, but with a 90% Probability of Violation and an approaching tropical system off of Florida’s west coast, the chances of that don’t seem very high. Monday’s forecast is equally squirrelly as the system is forecast to arc through northern Florida, creating storm squalls and windy conditions across the state.

On the other hand, it’s Florida and the weather here can be unpredictable. So, we’ll see when SpaceX can get this launch off of the pad.

—————-

SpaceX is planning to launch Falcon 9 carrying the NG-21 ISS Resupply mission for Northrup Grumman. Liftoff Saturday morning is set 11:28 AM EDT (1538Z) in an instantaneous window from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX plans for the booster to return and land at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral. The Space Coast will hear a sonic boom from the booster as it herald’s its return, which should happen approximately 7.5 minutes after liftoff.

Weather is a major concern for this launch, as a tropical disturbance’s passing to the west in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to bring heavy rains to the Space Coast over the weekend. Current forecasts are calling for weather to arrive sometime Saturday, so the timing of the storm coupled with the normal storm activity of Florida in summer leaves forecasters calling the chances of acceptable weather a coin flip with a 50% chance of a Probability of Violation at launch time.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Northrup Grumman NG-21
  • Date: NET August 3, 2024
  • Launch Window: 11:28AM EDT (1528 Zulu)
  • Weather: 50% GO at launch time
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: Northeastward
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Booster Landing: Landing Zone 1, CCSFS
  • Payload: Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee)
  • Destination: International Space Station

Payload

Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee) cargo spacecraft, loaded with scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment.

Graphic: NASA

According to NASA, the payload includes:

  • Test articles to evaluate liquid and gas flow through porous media found in space station life support systems.
  • A balloon, penny, and hexnut for a new STEMonstration on centripetal force.
  • Microorganisms known as Rotifers to examine the effects of spaceflight on DNA repair mechanisms.
  • A bioreactor to demonstrate the production of many high-quality blood and immune stem cells.
  • Vascularized liver tissue to analyze the development of blood vessels in engineered tissue flown to the space station.

Weather

General Forecast

The forecast at launch time looks relatively benign:

Temperature28.9°C
Humidity~65%
PrecipitationNone, Probably
Cloud coverVariable
Windspeed (at ground level)10-15 MPH / 4.5-6.7 m/s
Visibility~16.5 miles / 27.0 km

Official Launch Forecast

The 45th Weather Squadron’s discussion in their launch forecast mentions the tropical system noted above. “All eyes will remain on Potential Tropical Cyclone Four (PTC 4) as it lifts out of the Greater Antilles and into the Gulf of Mexico. The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center has the system becoming a named storm Saturday and skirting the western Florida Peninsula Sunday, potentially making landfall as a Tropical Storm anywhere from the Florida Big Bend to southwest Florida.

Regardless of where the center of the storm makes landfall, the Space Coast will be on the eastern side of the system, and weather is likely to deteriorate with time from Saturday afternoon into Sunday. For the initial launch window, scattered showers are expected to approach the coastline out of the southeast and potentially move onshore.”

Their primary concerns that could necessitate a delay are: the Cumulus Cloud Rule, Surface Electric Fields Rule, and Thick Cloud Layers Rule.

via 4th Weather Squadron
Retrieved 1600 EDT, 08/02/2024

Trajectory

Northeastwards.

Landing

The booster used for this mission, B1080, will land at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

A Falcon Heavy side booster firing up its engines to land last month at Cape Canaveral
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

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: NG-21 Mission. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.

NASA’s launch coverage begins at 11:00 AM EDT on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, 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

This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral, which means that the best direct views of liftoff are: 

Banana River Bridge on FL-528 W near Port Canaveral, where you will be able to see ignition, liftoff and the booster landing. Free.

Kennedy Space Center Vistor’s Center. From Apollo/Saturn V Center. Premium Launch Transportation Ticket. Bleacher seating is available, expert commentary, and closer view of the launch from across Banana Creek. Landing is pretty far away, relatively speaking. $70 for the launch viewing ticket plus entrance fees and parking. If you choose this go very early — lines will be long!

The southern parks on US-1 / S. Washington Avenue in Titusville. Kennedy Point Park and Rotary Riverview Park (among others) are your best bets for free viewing sites. These sites will be great for the launch, but not as good for the landing.

Indirect Views

There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-40 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.

  • Jetty Park, Port Canaveral
    • Fee required, much be purchased in advance: Port Canaveral Store
    • It’s very possible to see a cruise ship coming or going.
    • The pier especially has great views of the landing — probably the best that the public can get to. The launch view is indirect.
  • Cocoa Beach
    • Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
    • Further away, but still good views. Launch and landing is indirect.
  • Northern Titusville Parks
    • Further away, but really nice views after liftoff.
    • You won’t see the landing directly, but instead from a good distance away.

Restaurants With Good Launch Views

  • The Space Bar ($$$) – atop the Courtyard Marriott near Kennedy Parkway
  • New York New York ($$) – on the Indian River with an outdoor seating area. Is family-friendly.
  • Shiloh’s ($$$) — located on the Indian River with an outdoor deck overlooking KSC/CCSFS

Playalinda Beach

Playalinda Beach out on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore should be open to spectators until 8 PM EDT, that is if KSC Security and the National Park Service allow viewers for the launch. Generally, they have been, but security concerns can differ for each launch. It opens to visitors at 6 AM.

This is a popular place, so if you go, go early.

Call ahead to be sure they are open..

Cape Canaveral National Seashore • Playalinda Beach
Phone: (386) 428-3384 x0

Current operating hours: 6:00 AM–8:00 PM

If you are going to Playalinda, and if it is open, remember these general tips. Some may not apply to this particular launch.

  • Get there at least two hours early, or better, earlier than that. Lines are long at the entry gate and they will only allow as many spectator vehicles as there are parking space available.
  • Cape Canaveral National Seashore has a fee to get in and cash is not accepted. Debit and credit cards are okay, or if you have one of the National Park Service’s passes for the Seashore or the National Parks, that will work as well.
  • Cellphone service is spotty at best and often non-existent at Playalinda. Don’t count on your cellphone to keep up with the launch; you might get a signal, or you might not.
  • You are not allowed to view from the pullouts on Beach Road. Stanchions will block them. You’ll have to park and go to the beach.
  • Refreshments are not available. There are no stores at Cape Canaveral National Seashore, so you’ll need to bring drinks and food if you want any while you’re there.
  • Rangers will keep you back a certain distance from the launch area on the beach. Even if the beach is open, you’ll still be unable to go down to the fence that demarcates the normal security zone. There’s a line that spectators can’t go past somewhat north of the fence. That’s for safety and security.

Be prepared for potential changes or pushbacks in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.

Booster: B0180

SpaceX states on their website, “This is the tenth flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, and four Starlink missions.”

That’s Booster B1080.

Booster B1080
Flight NumberMissionDate
1Axiom-2May 21, 2023
2EuclidJuly 1, 2023
3Starlink 6-11August 27 2023
4Starlink 6-24October 22, 2023
5Axiom-3January 18, 2024
6CRS-30March 21, 2024
7Starlink 6-52April18, 2024
8Starlink 6-62May 23, 2024
9Astra 1P / SES-24June 20, 2024
B1080 record as of June 20, 2024

Countdown Timeline

Hr/Min/SecEvent
00:38:00SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:001st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:002nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00Falcon 9 liftoff
via SpaceX

Launch, Landing and Deployment

Hr/Min/SecEvent
00:01:08Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:181st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:221st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:302nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:35Boostback Burn Starts
00:02:58Fairing deployment
00:03:24Boostback Burn Ends
00:06:171st stage entry burn start
00:06:341st stage entry burn ends
00:07:241st stage landing burn start
00:07:311st stage landing
00:08:332nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:14:35Cygnus Deploys
Via Spacex
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Timelapse of Falcon 9’s flight as seen from Veteran’s Park in Titusville this morning.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the Starlink 10-6 mission from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 Rocket. Liftoff was at 01:01 AM EDT.

After a nominal ascent, around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster used for the mission, tail number B1078, touched down safely on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Carolinas.

B1078 has now flown twelve successful missions, after previously launching Crew-6, O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and now nine Starlink missions.

Falcon 9’s second-stage two burns were also right on the money, and the Starlink Group 10-6 of 23 Starlink Mini v2 satellites were placed into their intended initial orbit.

With Booster B1078 safely aboard, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be unloaded, transported to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center and prepared for its next flight after inspection and refurbishment.

Starlink 10-6 rising
Photo: Richard Gallagher, Florida Media Now

At 02:07 AM EDT, SpaceX confirmed deployment of tonight’s payload, marking another successful mission for the company and for Falcon 9.

Launch Replay

Payload

Today’s payload was another 23 Starlink satellites that will join SpaceX’s constellation in low-Earth orbit. Now under their own power, the satellites will move into the final orbital positions before being commissioned and beginning operation.

Next Launch

SpaceX will launch the NG-21 ISS resupply for Northrup Grumman and NASA aboard a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Station on Saturday morning.

  • Date: NET August 3, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX / NASA and Northrup Grumman
  • Mission: NG-21
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 11:28 AM – instantaneous window
  • Payload: Northrup Grumman Cygnus
SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying NG-20 for Northrup Grumman in January 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusvill

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

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members (pictured from left to right) NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi.
Photo: NASA

NASA announced the members of the Crew-10 mission to ISS today. They slated to fly to ISS no earlier than February of next year aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon and Falcon 9.

NASA astronauts Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov will join astronauts at the orbiting laboratory next year.

Anne McClain

Anne McClain
Photo: NASA

This will be McClain’s second spaceflight. She was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and is a colonel in the U.S. Army. McClain earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and holds master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering, International Security, and Strategic Studies.

The Spokane, Washington, native is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. She has more than 2,300 flight hours in 24 rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including more than 800 in combat, and was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Rugby Team.

On her first spaceflight, McClain spent 204 days as a flight engineer during Expeditions 58 and 59 and was the lead on two spacewalks, totaling 13 hours and 8 minutes. Since then, she has served in various roles, including branch chief and space station assistant to the chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office.

Nichole Ayers

Nichole Ayers
Photo: NASA

Ayers is a major in the U.S. Air Force and the first member of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class set to fly to space. The Colorado native graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a minor in Russian.

She later earned a master’s in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University in Houston. Ayers served as an instructor pilot and mission commander in the T-38 ADAIR and F-22 Raptor, leading multinational and multiservice missions worldwide. She has more than 1,400 total flight hours, including more than 200 in combat.

Ayers is also a former athlete, and was a member of the academy’s varsity volleyball team.

Takuya Onishi

Takuya Onishi
Photo: JAXA

The Crew 10 flight will be Onishi’s second trip to the International Space Station. After being selected by JAXA in 2009, he flew as a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49 became the first Japanese astronaut to robotically capture the Cygnus spacecraft. He has spent 113 days in space. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Tokyo and was a pilot for All Nippon Airways, flying more than 3,700 flight hours in the Boeing 767.

He also constructed a new experimental environment aboard Kibo, the station’s Japanese experiment module. Since his spaceflight, Onishi became certified as a JAXA flight director, leading the team responsible for operating Kibo from JAXA Mission Control in Tsukuba, Japan.

Kirill Peskov

Kirill Peskov
Photo: Roscosmos

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission also will be Peskov’s first spaceflight. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he earned a degree in Engineering from the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation School and was a co-pilot on the Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for airlines Nordwind and Ikar. Assigned as a test-cosmonaut in 2020, he has additional experience in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving, and wilderness survival.

Peskov will be flying aboard a Crew Dragon as part of the seat exchange program finalized in 2022 between the United States and Russia.

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Falcon 9 late in first stage flight.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Lather, Rinse, Repeat: SpaceX plans to launch another set of twenty-three Starlink satellites, this time from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.

The launch window is similar to last week’s Starlink 10-9 launch — it opens at 12:19 AM EDT and extends until 05:02 AM EDT the same day. Should weather or technical reasons arise and cause a delay, the company has a similar launch window Saturday, August 3.

After it completes its portion of the mission, the booster will land offshore on ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’, which is stationed offshore downrange on the Atlantic Ocean near the Carolinas. Since this is not a Return To Launch Site mission, no sonic booms will be heard on the Space Coast.

The launch will be SpaceX’s 76th of 2024 and its 15th launch from LC-39A this year. Overall, it will be the 386th SpaceX launch of all time.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Starlink 10-6
  • Date: NET August 2, 2024
  • Launch Window: 12:19 AM – 05:02 AM EDT*
  • Weather: 95% Go during the primary launch window
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: Northeastward
  • Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Booster Landing: Offshore on ASDS A Shortfall of Gravitas
  • Payload: Communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
  • Destination: Low-Earth Orbit

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

Payload

The payload for this mission is a familiar one: twenty-three Starlink satellites. Starlink provides low-latency, high-bandwidth Internet connectivity to its customers.

Starlink orbital rendering by FetchCFD

Weather

General Forecast

Generally speaking, the threat of the usual afternoon and evening storms have died away for the evening by midnight, and tonight is no exception.

Temperature~81° F / 26.9°C
Humidity~90%
PrecipitationNone, Probably
Cloud cover~1% estimated
Windspeed (at ground level)12-14 MPH / 5.5 m/s
Visibility~8.7 miles / 14.0 km

As shown below, the 45th’s forecast states, “Storms will meander the Space Coast area but will subside in advance of the launch windows each day leaving just lingering dissipating clouds. Additionally, during the launch windows there is a small chance for nocturnal storms to develop over the water near the coastline, especially on Saturday morning. Primary concerns for each day would be the Cumulus Cloud Rule.”

That in mind, the 45th is forecasting only a 5% Probability of Violations for weather conditions, meaning that they rate chances for acceptable conditions at 95%. They also have rated the probability of a problem at the booster landing area as “low.”

The official forecast from the 45th Weather Squadron:

45th Weather Squadron’s forecast on August 1, 2024
Retrieved 11am 08/01/2024

Trajectory

The trajectory for the Starlink 10-6 mission is a familiar path: northeastward, the customary direction for SpaceX’s Group 10 Starlink launches. The rocket right-to-left if you are on the Space Coast and facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean.

Landing

After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas.’

As such, there will be no sonic boom on the Space Coast.

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: Starlink 10-6. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five 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

This morning’s planned launch is from LC-39A of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The northern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.

Indirect Views

There are several excellent viewing spots for LC-39A launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.

  • Jetty Park, Port Canaveral
    • Fee required, much be purchased in advance: Port Canaveral Store
    • It’s very possible to see a cruise ship coming or going.
    • The pier especially has great views
  • Cocoa Beach
    • Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
    • Further away, but still good views.
  • Southern Titusville Parks
    • Further away, but really nice views.

Restaurants With Good Launch Views

Given that the launch window opens after midnight and closes before dawn, local restaurants will be closed before liftoff and will not re-open before the end of the window.

Booster: unknown

SpaceX states “This is the 12th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and eight Starlink missions.”

That’s Booster B1078, which last flew forty days ago as part of the Starlink 10-2 mission.

Booster B1078
Flight NumberPayloadDate
1Crew-6March 2, 2023
2O3b mPOWER 3 & 4April 28, 2023
3Starlink 6-4June 4, 2023
4Starlink 6-8August 7, 2023
5Starlink 6-16September 16, 2023
6Starlink 6-31December 3, 2023
7USSF-124February 14, 2024
8Starlink 6-46March 25, 2024
9Starlink 6-53April 23, 2024
10Starlink 6-60May 28, 2024
11Starlink 10-2June 23, 2024
Booster B1078 as of 06/23/2024
Liftoff of a Falcon 9 as seen from Cocoa Beach.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Countdown Timeline

There are key events in the countdown that you may hear called out in launch coverage.

Remember that once Propellant Loading (T-minus thirty-eight minutes) starts, Falcon 9 is committed to the launch attempt. Because of the nature of the cryogenic fuels used to power the rockets, any hold precludes a later launch attempt the same day. While it only rarely happens, there have been occasions where that has happened, and a launch scrub is called for the day’s attempt.

SpaceX provides the following countdown milestones on their mission information page:

Hours:Minutes:SecondsEvent
00:38:00SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00*RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:001st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:002nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00Falcon 9 liftoff
* after propellant loading begins, SpaceX is committed, and any holds until liftoff results in a scrub for the day. This is important if the weather is marginal.
Via SpaceX. SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.

Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight

SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:

Hours:Minutes:SecondsEvent
00:00:00Liftoff
00:01:10Max-Q (Moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:261st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:301st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:362nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:57Fairing deployment
00:06:051st stage entry burn begins
00:06:281st stage entry burn ends
00:07:461st stage landing burn begins
00:08:141st stage landing
00:08:392nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:402nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:422nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:03:34Starlink satellites deploy
via: SpaceX. SpaceX flight timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.

All events up to the end of the 1st stage entry burn should be visible for launch spectators watching the launch in person, so long as clouds are not blocking the viewer’s line of sight.

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Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free, and you can cancel at any time.

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