SpaceX plans to launch Polaris Dawn early tomorrow morning from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, with four astronauts aboard a Crew Dragon.
The launch is scheduled for 3:38 AM EDT, with two additional launch opportunities within a four-hour window at 5:23 AM EDT and 7:09 AM EDT. If, for some reason, the launch does not happen tomorrow morning, backup opportunities are available on Wednesday, September 11th at the same times.
SpaceX launched the Starlink 8-11 mission into hazy skies with storms looming in the distance late in the morning on September 5, 2024, aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX got right back to business early Saturday morning as it launched the Starlink 8-10 mission aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX got right back to business early Saturday morning as it launched the Starlink 8-10 mission aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Liftoff was at 03:43 AM EDT, with Booster B1085 completing its first mission successfully 8:22 minutes later when it touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions.’ At 5:06 AM, SpaceX confirmed satellite deployment and the conclusion of another successful launch for the company.
This was the 61st mission launch from the Eastern Range overall so far in 2024.
According to SpaceX, tonight’s payload was “21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit.”
Starlink now has approximately 6300 active satellites in its expanding constellation, which serves over three million customers in over 100 countries and territories globally.
This one is tricky: Polaris Dawn is vertical at LC-39A and is awaiting good weather prior to its start. SpaceX nor the Polaris Dawn program have announced the date for the next launch attempt, but one may be forthcoming at any time.
Otherwise, if Polaris Dawn does not launch by mid-week next week, SpaceX has the Starlink 8-11 mission penciled in for Wednesday, September 4th with a launch window between 08:59 AM and 12:59 AM EDT.
Polaris Dawn, a fully-private commercial crew mission that plans to be the highest-orbiting crewed mission as well as conducting the first private spacewalk is on the launch pad and awaiting improved weather prior to launching.
The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center earlier this week and are now in final preparations for their upcoming flight aboard a Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.
These are photos taken prior to the launch of Falcon 9 and the start of the mission.
SpaceX launched another tranche of Starlink satellites to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.
Liftoff was at 09:20 AM EDT, with Booster B1085 completing its first mission successfully 8:14 minutes later when it touched down offshore on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’
B0185, whose maiden flight was originally slated for Crew 9, was moved up in SpaceX’s rotation to prove in the booster due to some water intrusion while it was being shipped from the company’s McGregor, Texas facilities. The flight was nominal, and the booster will not be returned to Port Canaveral and ultimately SpaceX’s ‘Hangar X’ facility where it will be inspected and refurbished with an eye towards using it for the Crew 9 flight late next month.
The second stage continued to orbit nominally, with SpaceX reporting several successful second stage burns that optimized the orbit for payload deployment.
23 Starlink satellites. They will join Group 10 of SpaceX’s burgeoning Starlink’s constellation of Internet communication satellites. That service is used by over 3.1 million users in over 100 countries and territories worldwide.
SpaceX will launch another group of Starlink satellites early in the morning on Friday from Space Launch Complex 40.
SpaceX launched another tranche of Starlink satellites to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.
On a humid, hazy and thoroughly typical August morning in central Florida, SpaceX launched the WorldView 3 and WorldView 4 Earth-imaging satellites owned and operated by Maxar Corporation.
Liftoff was at the opening of the launch window at 09:00 AM EDT, with Booster B1076 completing its 16th mission successfully 7:48 minutes later when it touched down at Landing Zone 1, about six miles from where it had launched only minutes before. Moments later, a pair of sonic booms sounded the booster’s return.
The second stage continued to orbit nominally, with SpaceX reporting several successful second stage burns that optimized the orbit for payload deployment.
Two Maxar WorldView Earth-observation satellites.
It will be a quiet weekend at the Cape as no launches are scheduled until next Tuesday, August 20th when SpaceX will launch another tranche of Starlink satellites aboard Falcon 9. The launch will be from Space Launch Complex 40 and the window opens at 05:20 AM EDT.
SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 carrying two Maxar Earth-observation satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral tomorrow morning. The launch window opens at 09:00 AM EDT and closes at 12:00 PM the same day.
Booster B1076 has been assigned to the mission, and it will be making its 16th flight. This will be a Return To Landing Site Mission, meaning there will be a sonic boom heard across the Space Coast as the booster returns to land.
Two Maxar WorldView Earth-observation satellites.
The 45th Weather Squadron’s forecast has a 20% chance of a weather-related range violation, meaning that weather is 80% go. They do have concerns about cumulus clouds in the flight path as well as an additional risk of upper-level windshear.
All in all, this is a great forecast for July in Florida.
Northeastwards
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: Maxar 2 Mission. 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.
If there is a launch that you really want to head to Jetty Park to see, this is one of them. While Jetty Park has an indirect view of liftoff (you won’t see the rocket until it clears the berm on the CCSFS side of the port) but you will get as good a view of the landing sequence as there is, on or off the base. Go early if you plan to view it from there, and then keep in mind that you must pay your entrance fee in advance.
Purchase a Port Canaveral Parking Pass
Otherwise, the usual Space Launch Complex 40 viewing sites are quite good as well: the Banana River Bridge on FL 528W, Cocoa Beach, and the southern Titusville parks on Washington Avenue.
Keep in mind it will get progressively warmer as morning progresses, so be prepared with cold drinks, sunscreen and maybe even bug spray, just in case.
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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