Falcon 9

Crowds gathered on Cocoa Beach to watch a Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral earlier in 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 tomorrow from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, carrying another group of Starlink satellites. The launch window extends from 6:52 PM EDT to 10:14 PM the same day. The launch will be SpaceX’s 99th in 2024.

Note: article has been updated to reflect a day/time change in the launch schedule.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Starlink 6-61
  • Date: NET October 22 2024
  • Launch Window:  6:52 PM EDT — 10:14 PM EDT*
  • Weather: 85% GO
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: Southeast
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Booster Landing: ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
  • Destination: LEO

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

Payload

The mission’s payload is another group of Starlink satellites, which will join Group 6 of SpaceX/Starlink’s orbital constellation in low-Earth orbit. Starlink is an Internet service serving over four million customers in over one hundred countries and territories globally.

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force Launch Delta 45 has forecast a 15% probability of a violation of acceptable weather conditions through the launch window, meaning that they expect conditions to be 85% GO.

Primary concerns are winds and cumulus clouds in the Cape Canaveral area, with additional concerns listed for the booster landing area at sea.

Trajectory

Tomorrow’s launch is southeastwards. Spectators facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean from Florida will see Falcon 9 traveling left to right.

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 6-61. 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: 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 closing right as the window opens. Restaurants in Port Canaveral, specifically Gators Dockside, Fishlips and Grills Seafood should have good views after the rocket clears obstructions.

Cocoa Beach or the Cocoa Beach Pier area is also very good, but ignition won’t be visible and it will take several seconds for the rocket to clear obstructions between the launch pad and viewers.

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SpaceX and Falcon 9 lofted another twenty Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral into low Earth orbit tonight. Liftoff was at 7:31 PM EDT.

Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1076 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’ to complete its seventeenth mission successfully, while the second stage and payload continued to Earth orbit.

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Starlink 9-47 launching from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
A Falcon 9 rises off of the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 on February 27, 2023
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

(Note: this article was written prior to the launch being moved to NET Friday October 18, and has been updated to reflect that. –CB)

At A Glance

  • Mission: Starlink 8-19
  • Date: NET October 18, 2024
  • Launch Window: 07:21-07:31 PM EDT*
  • Weather: 40% Go during the primary launch window
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: Northeastward
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Booster Landing: Offshore on ASDS Just Read The Instructions
  • Payload: Communications satellites.
  • Destination: Low-Earth Orbit

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

Launch Discussion

SpaceX is planning to launch another tranche of Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 Friday evening from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The launch window is a short one: ten minutes long, from 07:21-07:31 PM EDT.

After completing its part of the launch, the booster used for this flight will land on ASDS Just Read The Instructions, which is stationed off the coast of South Carolina. Given that the booster will be landing offshore, there will be no sonic boom this evening in the Space Coast region.

The launch will be SpaceX’s 102nd of 2024 and its 15th launch from SLC-40 this year. Overall, it will be the 48th SpaceX launch from its primary pad on the Eastern Range.

Payload

The payload for this mission is a familiar one for SpaceX and launch spectators here in Florida: Starlink satellites. Once they are deployed in orbit, these satellites will join the burgeoning Starlink constellation of LEO satellites.

Starlink provides low-latency, high-bandwidth Internet connectivity to over 4 million customers globally.

A graphic of Starlink satellites in orbit from HeavensAbove.com

Weather

It’s a coin flip for this launch, as a front has pushed through the area and breezy conditions have been the result.

The 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 is giving a 60% Probablity of Violation due to the aforementioned winds, which means there is a 40% chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. SpaceX has launched with lower odds, so one never knows. If the weather is within safety margins inside the launch window, they’ll get the mission completed.

Retrieved 17 OCT 2024 10AM EDT

Trajectory

The trajectory for the Starlink 8-19 mission is northeastward, the customary direction for SpaceX’s Group 8 Starlink launches. The rocket right-to-left if you are on the Space Coast and facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean.

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 8-19. 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

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
  • 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.
  • Northern Titusville Parks
    • Further away, but really nice views.

Restaurants With Good Launch Views

At Port Canaveral, there are a number of good restaurants that will have indirect views: Gators Dockside , Fishlips and Grills Seafood all have outdoor seating with great views over the port towards SLC-40.

The Space Bar and New York New York in Titusville are great place to watch a launch. NYNY will probably close their kitchen before 7pm, so if you choose that option, go early if you are hungry.

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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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Falcon 9 second stage after shutting down on September 28, 2024 Photo: NASA – SpaceX livestream
Falcon 9 second stage after shutting down on September 28, 2024
Photo: NASA – SpaceX livestream

The FAA released a brief statement recognizing that the second stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 used for the Crew 9 launch landed outside of its designated landing zone, and that they are requiring an investigation:

“The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX NASA Crew-9 mission that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on September 28. The incident involved the Falcon 9 second stage landing outside of the designated hazard area. No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation.”

FAA, September 30, 2024

The FAA did note that no injuries or property damage has been reported, which is their primary concern in this matter.

For their part, SpaceX announced on Sunday that they were pausing Falcon-family launches while they conducted their investigation into the issue with the Crew-9 second stage:

SpaceX via X.com

Effectively, the FAA’s announcement today formalizes a process that SpaceX had already announced and started.

What Happened?

After launching NASA’s Crew 9 mission with Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague aboard Crew Dragon on their mission to the International Space Station, the second stage of Falcon 9 separated from the capsule and was later commanded to fire its engine one last time in order for it to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. A specific area in the Pacific Ocean was targeted so as to minimize any risk of surviving debris causing injuries or property damage.

More From Talk of Titusville:
Crew 9 Launches To ISS
SpaceX Pausing Falcon Family Launches While It Investigates Second Stage Anomaly

According to SpaceX on Sunday, that burn was “off-nominal,” which caused the second stage to land outside of the designated area.

While the official information released by SpaceX thus far has been relatively non-specific, Dr. Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics posted a graphic on X.com on Sunday morning showing his estimation of the ground track of S2 on its final orbit along with area in which the stage probably came down.

In that post he McDowell said, “Here is the ground track showing the planned reentry area at bottom left. My analysis suggests that an off nominal deorbit that still ends up with stage reentry will impact on the orange line somewhere between the end of the white rectangle and the equator.”

Falcon 9 Second Stage expected track, per Dr. Jonathan McDowell.
via X.com

Why Is This Important?

While the Pacific Ocean is obviously a very big place, and relatively speaking, the second stage of a rocket is not, planned re-entries must still come down in their designated zone. Outside of that is considered a hazardous operation because of the non-zero chance of injuries or property damage. In turn, this triggers the need for a formal investigation prior to the FAA issuing a launch license for SpaceX’s next mission.

How Long Is Falcon 9 Grounded?

It depends. If SpaceX can make a case that this issue would not have resulted in increased danger to people or property, they can ask the FAA to make a determination of that as fact and to resume issuing Falcon family launch licenses while SpaceX completes their investigation(s) and subsequent modifications and improvements to Falcon 9’s second stage.

In July of this year, that’s exactly what happened: fourteen days after Starlink 9-3 had a second-stage anomaly, the FAA issued a determination that no public safety issues were the result of that particular incident.

Crew 9 lifts off on September 27, 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Later, in August, the same sort of determination was released by the FAA only three days after a landing failure of the booster used for Starlink 8-6.

That would imply that this launch pause will also be short, but it is difficult to say that with complete certainty, given that this is the second failure of a Falcon-family second-stage in the past three months.

As always, stay tuned. There’s more to come on this story.

See also: FAA Rules For Launch Mishaps

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