SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-69 mission to low-Earth orbit late this afternoon, and by so doing completed its second launch from the Eastern Range (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center) in less than five hours. Starlink 6-69 launched aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:28 PM EST, a mere four hours and six minutes after SpaceX launched Koreasat 6A from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Both launches were successes.
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.
SpaceX launched the latest resupply mission for the International Space Station this evening from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 9:29 PM EDT into skies that cleared just in time for the launch.
Around eight minutes and a half minutes after launching roughly ten miles away, Falcon 9 Booster B1083 completed its fifth mission successfully when it touched down at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This marked the 46th landing at LZ-1 and the 365th Falcon booster landing all-time.
SpaceX sent another group of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit early this evening from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. Liftoff was at 5:10 PM EDT under stiff breezes and crystal blue skies.
Lather, rinse, repeat: 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 5:10 PM EDT to 9:08 PM the same day.
The booster used for this mission will land on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ off of the coast of the Carolinas, and as such, there will be no sonic boom over the Space Coast region.
The mission’s payload is another group of Starlink satellites, which will join Group 10 of SpaceX/Starlink’s orbital constellation in low-Earth orbit. Starlink satellites account for more than 50% of all active satellites, with over 7,000 active units in orbit. Starlink is an Internet service serving over four million customers in over one hundred countries and territories globally.
It has been reported that SpaceX ultimately seeks to have 29,988 satellites orbiting between 211 and 381 miles above Earth.
The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force Launch Delta 45 has forecast a 25% probability of a violation of acceptable weather conditions through the launch window, meaning that they expect conditions to be 75% GO.
Primary concerns are winds and cumulus clouds in the Cape Canaveral area.
Tomorrow’s launch is northeastwards. Spectators facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean from Florida will see Falcon 9 traveling right to left.
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 10-13. 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.
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 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.
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.
SpaceX and Falcon 9 launched another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral into low Earth orbit late in the afternoon of October 27, 2024. Liftoff was at 5:47 PM EDT under crystal clear skies and a slight breeze.
SpaceX and Falcon 9 lofted another twenty Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral into low Earth orbit tonight. Liftoff was at 5:47 PM EDT.
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.
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.
At 8:35 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed a successful deployment of the payload.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch another set of Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 early on Monday evening from Space Launch Complex 40.
Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.
(Note: this article was written prior to the launch being moved to NET Friday October 18, and has been updated to reflect that. –CB)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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