Space Coast

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Late this afternoon, SpaceX is planning to launch Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral to add to its constantly expanding constellation of Starlink satellites.

This time a Group 6 launch, meaning it is a southeastward launch. It will be into very late afternoon skies on the first day of Standard time and sunsets an hour (by the clock) earlier than the day before. The launch window extends from 4:57 PM EST to 8:03 PM and is expected to be under pleasant skies and an onshore breeze.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Starlink 6-67
  • Date: NET November 3, 2024
  • Launch Window:  4:57 PM EST — 8:03 PM EST*
  • Weather: 90% GO
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: Southeast
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Booster Landing: ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’
  • Payload: Starlink satellites
  • Destination: LEO

    * consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.
A graphic representation of Starlink satellites in orbit from SatelliteMap.Space

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.

To date, SpaceX has not released any renderings of its Starlink Mini v2, which is the bulk of the units that they have been launching over the last several months.

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force Launch Delta 45 has forecast a 10% probability of a violation of acceptable weather conditions through the launch window, meaning that they expect conditions to be 90% GO. This is pretty close to a perfect forecast for the launch site, but the 45th is also listing a moderate concern in the Booster Landing Area. No further information is given.

Primary concerns are cumulus clouds in the Cape Canaveral area.

Launch Viewing: In Person

The best free options are available for spectators: the Banana River Bridge on FL 528 West or the southern Titusville parks on Washington Avenue / US-1 or the beaches.

Jetty Park will be open. There is an entry fee.

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.

Launch spectators on the beach at Jetty Park. Falcon 9 ascending is the orange dot in the top left quarter of the photo. (click to enlarge)
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

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.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream you listen to on your phone 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. If you are watching in person, expect ignition to happen a few seconds before you hear it on launch coverage on your device. The gap can vary so a real-time countdown clock is handy.

Next Space Flight is 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.

Online Viewing

SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 6-67. 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.

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Falcon 9 ascending off of the launch pad on October 30, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer

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.

SpaceX Starlink 10-13 ascending towards orbit on October 30, 2024.
SpaceX Starlink 10-13 ascending towards orbit on October 30, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer

Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1078 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ to complete its nineteenth mission successfully, while the second stage and payload continued to low Earth orbit. About the same time that the booster landed, the initial orbit for the payload was achieved, with a short orbit rounding burn just before payload deployment.

At 6:16 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed a successful deployment of the payload of Starlink satellites.

Launch Replay

By The Numbers

  • Starlink 10-8 is the 104th SpaceX launch this year.
  • SpaceX has launched 67 times from the Eastern Range
  • It was the 981st launch from Cape Canaveral.
SpaceX Starlink 10-13 ascending to orbit on October 30, 2024

Next Launch

SpaceX is scheduled to launch another set of Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 late on Sunday evening from Space Launch Complex 40.

  • Date: NET November 3, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX / NASA
  • Mission: Starlink 6-77
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral
  • Launch Window: 4:57 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.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off on October 30, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer
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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.

Falcon 9 ascending
Falcon 9 ascending

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.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Starlink 10-13
  • Date: NET October 30 2024
  • Launch Window:  5:10 PM EDT — 9:08 PM EDT*
  • Weather: 75% GO
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Trajectory: Northeast
  • 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 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.

Weather

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.

Trajectory

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

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 10-13. 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.

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 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.

The view from The Space Bar in Titusville.
Entry is free, drinks and food are priced at the mid-range level.

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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Pete Carstens

Pete Carstens is a man who can see things almost no one else can. Long after launch spectators and even photographers have called it a day, Pete continues tracking the launch, watching the streaking rocket sometimes almost all the way to orbit. Fortunately, he shares everything he sees, making space flight journalism all the better for it.

Along with Chuck and Jen Briggs of C&J Images and a handful of highly talented staff photographers, Carstens’ company, Max Q Productions, provides the bulk of the original live video that Spaceflight Now produces. SFN, of course, is one of the highest-tier independent space news organizations that provide live launch coverage and commentary and is trusted by tens of thousands of space enthusiasts around the world as an original, accurate and pleasant place to catch up on all things space-related.

Here in Florida, people often use SFN to keep up with the last hour of a countdown until after liftoff until the conclusion of launch activities. It’s not uncommon for spectators to have a Spaceflight Now livestream playing on their cellphone while they are watching the launch on the beach, beside the Indian River or even at Kennedy Space Center. If there is news, Spaceflight Now will be among the very first to share it.

Seeing What No One Else Can

Rockets travel far and fast, and after a liftoff, it’s never more than a couple of minutes before they are hard to see as a spectator on the ground with the naked eye. At night, after staging, one might see the launching rocket as a dot of light moving across the sky, but not much more than that. During the day, it’s even harder to see.

Pete Carsten’s tracking rig.
Photo: Pete Carstens

That’s where Pete Carstens and Max Q comes in. Using his gear, Pete can not only still see the rocket, he can also track a SpaceX booster’s “entry burn” from a couple hundred miles away

Photographers using the highest-end zoom lenses can’t often resolve a rocket that’s fifty miles (80 km) high and traveling a few thousand miles per hour even if they can capture great views of the engines’ flame plume.

How does he do it? “The main unit is a Kintec that has been refurbished by Ed Geiger,” Carstens said. Geiger is a legendary launch videographer who was one of the first to do what was previously the domain of NASA and the US Air Force—tracking rockets with huge telescopes purpose-fit for the task.

Starlink 10-6 from Kennedy Space Center as captured by Pete Carstens
Photo: via X

“It [the motorized telescope mount] is controlled manually by joystick,” Carstens tells us. “Mounted on it is a 12″ and 8″ telescope along with a 750mm lens as well as a wide lens that I use to acquire the rocket if it moves out of frame due to clouds. That’s four cameras mounted on the tracker.”

As far as cameras, Carstens says, “I’m currently using two Canon R5’s at 4k (can do 8k but overheating is an issue) and a 90D at 4k. I also use a stationary 90D with a 4″ telescope that I’ll use when at KSC for lift off at the launch pad at 120 FPS for slow motion clips.”

How Pete Got Started

Carstens, like many launch photographers, got his start when he moved to the Sunshine State. “I relocated to Florida with my job and family in 2019 and started photographing and taking videos immediately. It took me about one to two years to get my 14″ telescope to be able to track manually with the software provided by Astronomy Live. They can be found on X @astrofreg. I then partnered with US Launch Report and started using one of Ed Geiger’s trackers that he refurbished and have since also partnered with Spaceflight Now.”

Pete Carstens and Max Q Productions is completely mobile.
Photo courtesy: Pete Carstens

“I try to shoot every launch whether out at the Cape, or from my home on the Space Coast,” Carstens says. “Lately the only launches I miss are if I am out of town.”

That’s not always easy. Florida weather is notoriously fickle. It can be raining heavily in one spot, and as little as a single mile away, skies might be partly cloudy. “Weather can be a big issue and in the Florida summer months, it gets quite chaotic,” Carstens told us. “It can be clear at the launch pad and raining 5 miles away. I live about 20 miles south of Cape Canaveral and it can be a very different view from what is going on at the Cape with the guys at Spaceflight Now. It can work in my favor in that Cape Canaveral is completely socked in and clear down at my location.”

The control console for the Max Q Productions Kintec system
Courtesy: Pete Carstens

We asked what Pete’s favorite launches to capture are, and he said, “I would say any launch around sunset with clear skies are the best. Several launches have key moments that stand out but the Falcon Heavy USSF-67 mission on January 15, 2023 was pretty spectacular, even though my settings were a little off.”

Pete’s Tips To Hobbyist Photographers

We asked Carstens if he had any advice for amateur photographers trying to take good launch photographs. “Start with a good tripod and a good fluid mount or a 360-degree rotatable panoramic gimbal tripod head ball mount,” he said. “Also a good lens or ‘good glass’.”

An extreme example of “dirty air” or “shimmer.” The photograph is actually focused correctly, but differing refractive indices through 12 miles of Florida summer air caused the photo to be highly distorted.
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

Some other advice that Carstens offers is something that amateurs sometimes forget to do, and that’s to record their settings, the conditions at launch as well as the location where they took their photos. “Write down your camera settings for each launch as well as the time of day and conditions and adjust as needed and compare,” Carstens advises. “For instance, there is a huge difference if the sun is behind you vs in front of you. Also, time of year, summer brings humidity (dirty air) vs winter with less humidity (cleaner air) You really notice the difference with a highly magnified lens.”

That “dirty air” that Pete mentions is also called “heat distortion,” “shimmer,” or sometimes a “mirage.” Being that a photographer will always be several miles from the launch pad, the light from the rocket and the launch tower has to go a very long way to reach the camera. The temperature and humidity of the air varies over the length of the distance between the camera and rocket, and that changes its optical qualities very slightly. A good example that anyone should be familiar with is stars “twinkling” at night — that’s heat distortion. It’s the bane of launch photographers in Florida all summer.

Carstens’ advice about using good lenses is sage as well: rockets turn into tiny objects in the sky, and high-quality glass resolves them more clearly, resulting in a better photo. And that should be mounted to a solid tripod that’s steady, coupled with a camera mount that operates smoothly.

How To Follow Pete Carstens Online

If you’d like to keep up with Pete’s work, he told us that “I provide live launch tracking for Spaceflight Now on their live YouTube channel. I also post still images from the video and then edit together the different focal length shots to a video that I post on my YouTube channel at Max-Q Productions – (@maxqproductions1) and then post to the following Social sites, X – @CarstensPete, Instagram – @pete_carstens, Facebook – pete.carstens.56, [and on] TikTok – @petecarstens3.”

Give him a follow on one or more of those channels. If you enjoy incredible images of rockets in flight, you will be glad that you did.

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SpaceX and Falcon 9 launched another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral into low Earth orbit late this afternoon. Liftoff was at 5:47 PM EDT under crystal clear skies and a slight breeze.

A multiple exposure composite of Falcon 9 rising this evening to start the Starlink 10-8 mission. This was the view from The Space Bar in Titusville.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1069 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’ to complete its nineteenth mission successfully, while the second stage and payload continued to low Earth orbit.

At 6:53 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed a successful deployment of the payload.

By The Numbers

  • Starlink 10-8 is the 102nd SpaceX launch this year and the 414th for the company all time.
  • Tonight launch was the 50th from SLC-40 this year.
  • It was the 980th launch from Cape Canaveral.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

SpaceX is scheduled to launch another set of Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 early on Monday evening from Space Launch Complex 40.

  • Date: NET October 21, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink Group 10-13
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 5:10 PM – 9:10 PM EDT
  • 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.

Launch spectators enjoyed some food and drinks at The Space Bar before the Starlink 10-8 launch on October 26,
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
A closer view of Falcon 9 launching this afternoon from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville.

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SpaceX and Falcon 9 lofted another twenty Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral into low Earth orbit tonight. Liftoff was at 5:47 PM EDT.

Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1073 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ to complete its eighteenth mission successfully, while the second stage and payload continued to Earth orbit.

At 6:56 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed a successful deployment of the payload and noted that this was their 100th successful Falcon flight of the year. (The number includes Falcon Heavy) That record is notable, given that all other nations plus other launch providers in the US have only collectively launched 95 other missions.

Launch Replay

By The Numbers

  • Starlink 6-61 is the 104th SpaceX launch this year and the 416th for the company all time.
  • Tonight launch was the 49th from SLC-40 this year.
  • It was the 360th Falcon Family Booster landing.
  • Starlink 6-61 was the 18th flight for Booster B-1073.
  • It was the 980th launch from Cape Canaveral.

Next Launch

SpaceX is scheduled to launch another set of Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 early on Saturday evening from Space Launch Complex 40.

  • Date: NET October 26, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink Group 10-8
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 5:47 – 9:47 PM EDT
  • 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.

Booster B1073 nearing the end of its part of Starlink 6-61’s ascent on October 23, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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Members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 from left to right, NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, mission specialist; Michael Barratt, pilot; Matthew Dominick, commander; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist; are photographed inside the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a dress rehearsal on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in preparation for the Crew-8 mission. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 is the eighth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station and the ninth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A is scheduled for 12:04 a.m. EST on Friday, March 1.
Crew 8 Arriving At Kennedy Space Center in February, 2024
Crew 8 Arriving At Kennedy Space Center in February, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will continue to stay aboard ISS through the week as they await better weather in the Crew Dragon landing zones off of the Florida coast.

“Weather conditions near the multiple splashdown sites off Florida’s coast remain unfavorable for the return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission from the International Space Station. Forecasts remain marginal for an undocking on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and Wednesday, Oct. 23. If weather conditions improve, NASA and SpaceX will target no earlier than 9:05 p.m. EDT, Oct. 22, for undocking from the space station. Based on the current forecast, conditions are expected to improve as the week progresses.”

NASA, October 21, 2024

Originally scheduled to return to Earth on October 7, Crew 8’s Dragon capsule Endeavour was slated to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on October 13. However, poor weather in potential recovery zones postponed that departure, and for the past two weeks, the crew has been awaiting better conditions.

Seas have been 6-8 feet through this period, which has seen a hurricane pass through the region and a strong front boundary afterward, stirring up strong winds and choppy seas. Small Craft Advisories have been an almost standard feature for the Florida coastline during the period, and so far, those conditions have shown little sign of relenting. NASA managers are meeting again tomorrow to discuss the weather outlook, according to the Commercial Crew office.

The forecast for the coastal waters of Florida are not encouraging, at least in the early part of the week:

East Coast of Florida: High pressure is forecast to remain over the eastern U.S. through mid-week, resulting in a prolonged period of moderate to fresh east northeast winds. The long fetch of winds over the Atlantic will produce poor to hazardous boating conditions into late week. Isolated, onshore-moving showers will remain possible into Friday.

Gulf of Mexico: Cautionary conditions remain across all Gulf waters today. Those conditions will persist in the offshore waters tonight while northeast winds begin a slow decrease in the nearshore waters. By Tuesday, winds throughout the northeast Gulf waters will relax to more moderate levels heading into midweek with seas falling to 1-2 feet.

National Weather Service, October 21, 2024

ISS. Date unknown.
Credit: NASA
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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.

Read more

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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NASA’s Commercial Crew office released its high-level plan for 2025 today. It has few surprises, with two SpaceX Commercial Crew missions, and offers the slightest of updates for Boeing’s Starliner program and holds out the possibility of a Starliner flight next year.

SpaceX Commercial Crew Flights in 2025

Crew 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on September 28, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Crew-10
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is scheduled for February 2025.

NASA Astronaut Anne McClain will be the mission commander, NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers will be the pilot mission specialists JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will be the mission specialists. This mission will be the second spaceflight for McClain and Onishi, and the first for Ayers and Peskov.

Crew-11
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 is targeted for no earlier than July of next year, but that may be adjusted because of operational needs — resupply missions on docking ports, etc. NASA will announce the four-person crew at a later date.

There is speculation that the two members of Crew-9 who were taken off the flight to accommodate Boeing Starliner Crewed Flight Test astronauts will be assigned to this flight, but at this point in time, that is just rumor and has no basis in official facts released by the agency.

Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman were deep into the training cycle for the Crew-9, which presumably gives them a headstart. Still, ultimately, Chief of the Astronaut Office Joe Acaba and other NASA officials will make the call. When that information will be released to the public is unknown.

Boeing Starliner

Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Here is where today’s release gets really interesting: NASA says that, “The timing and configuration of Starliner’s next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing’s path to system certification is established. This determination will include considerations for incorporating Crew Flight Test lessons learned, approvals of final certification products, and operational readiness.”

“Meanwhile, NASA is keeping options on the table for how best to achieve system certification, including windows of opportunity for a potential Starliner flight in 2025.”

To fly in 2025, Boeing and its contractors will need to fix the issues that dogged the Crewed Flight Test this year, namely overheating thrusters, helium leaks, and potentially degraded seals (this was seen in ground testing during the investigations of Starliner CFT).

To do that, Boeing and NASA engineers must finalize their data analyses if they still need to do so. From there, Boeing and its subcontractors can begin designing and fabricating any hardware changes and qualifying those for human spaceflight. Externally, Boeing seems optimistic that they can do those things in 2025. Whether that happens remains to be seen, given that aerospace projects are often delayed.

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