Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the SXM-9 satellite for Sirius-XM today. Liftoff was at 11:10 AM EST from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center and into hazy but blue skies over Florida.

Around 8.25 minutes later, Falcon 9 booster B1076 touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, successfully concluding its 19th mission. ‘Just Read The Instructions’ had been pre-positioned offshore downrange and will now return to Port Canaveral where B1076 will be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X for inspection and, presumably, preparation for its 20th flight.

Read more

Falcon 9 lifts off LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the SXM-9 satellite for Sirius-XM today. Liftoff was at 11:10 AM EST from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center and into hazy but blue skies over Florida.

Falcon 9 lifts off LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Around 8.25 minutes later, Falcon 9 booster B1076 touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, successfully concluding its 19th mission. ‘Just Read The Instructions’ had been pre-positioned offshore downrange and will now return to Port Canaveral where B1076 will be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X for inspection and, presumably, preparation for its 20th flight.

Falcon 9 lifts off LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 with SXM-9 lifts off on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 with SXM-9 ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
A vapor cone on the fairings of Falcon 9 with SXM-9 aboard as it ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 with SXM-9 ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 with SXM-9 ascends to orbit on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 with SXM-9 lifts off on December 5, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

While the booster was landing at sea on its target drone ship, the second stage of Falcon 9 continued to orbit, and achieved its initial orbit about the same time as the booster was touching down below on the JRTI. At 11:45 AM EST, SpaceX announced that the launch was a success when it said that SXM-9 had been successfully deployed.

Payload

Rendering of SXM-9 via Maxar

SXM-9 is a replacement for the failed SXM-7, which was launched in December 2020 and successfully reached geostationary orbit. During the commissioning and initial testing of SXM-7 on orbit, a payload failure occurred and it was declared a total loss in February 2021. SXM-9 will ascend under its own power to its final orbital location in Geosynchronous Orbit, a prograde, low inclination orbit around the Earth having a period of 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds. 

Launch Replay

Next Launch

On Sunday, December 8, 2024, SpaceX is planning to launch the Starlink 12-5 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral. The launch window opens at 12:10 AM EST and closes at 4:10 AM the same day. Effectively, the launch is late Saturday evening, so include that into any plans you may be making to attend or view the launch.

  • Date: NET December 8, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 12-5
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, CCSFS
  • Launch Window: 12:10 – 4:10 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

Artist's rendering of Mission 2 Resilience in lunar orbit. Graphic via ispace
The Mission 2 RESILIENCE lander arrives at KSC.
Photo via ispace

Japan’s latest lunar lander and rover has arrived at Kennedy Space Center, where it will enter final preparations for a launch scheduled for no earlier than January 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Officially named the Mission 2 RESILIENCE lunar lander, the spacecraft will be carrying the TENACIOUS micro rover and commercial payloads for iSpace.

“The Mission 2 RESILIENCE lander is the culmination of the HAKUTO-R program, incorporating the data and know-how gained from Mission 1,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “We are pleased that the transport to the launch site in Florida, has been completed successfully. The lander is carrying not only the payload entrusted to us by our customers, but also the excitement of many stakeholders. We will continue to make final preparations until the day of the launch, when the lander, which carries so many hopes, will be launched.”


The Mission 2 RESILIENCE lander being prepared for shipment at a JAXA facility prior to being sent to the US.
Photo via ispace

Mission 2 Resilience is a privately funded lunar mission, with Sumitomo Bank and other investors footing the bill. It will deliver six payloads to the lunar surface. The mission will include the first experiment to attempt electrolysis on the Moon and the Tenacious rover, which will collect regolith samples to sell to NASA. It will also drop off an art project, a figure shaped like a little red house. 

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has named “Venture Moon” by Sumitomo Mutsui Bank, official partner, (SMBC). According to ispace, “The word “venture” is emblematic of new beginnings and opportunity. With the support of SMBC, ispace, aims to develop the new cislunar economy connecting the Earth and the Moon and expanding human existence into space.”

Artist’s rendering of Mission 2 Resilience in lunar orbit.
Graphic via iSpace
Read more

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