SpaceX

Close to Main Engine Cutoff, Falcon 9 passed just above the moon from our point of view on the Banana River in Cape Canaveral.
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

Two launches in two days on two nearly perfect Florida late spring evenings: that’s life on the Space Coast these days, and that’s what’s happened over the last 25 or so hours here at The Cape. Tonight, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from their launch pad at SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying another 23 Starlink satellites to orbit. Launch was at 6:40 PM EDT, right at the start of the launch window.

This evening’s launch was the 18th launch from SLC-40 this year, the 41st of the year overall from SpaceX (40 Falcon family, 1 Starship test launch), and was the 300th landing of a Falcon family booster. On the average, SpaceX is performing a launch every 2.63 days, which far outperforms any other organization globally, including active nation-states such as China.

Now that Spring Break is over, and many of the winter residents are starting to return home, crowds were not as thick in the usual spots as they have been as little as a few weeks ago. That said, there were still hundreds of people lining the riverbanks in Titusville, in Cape Canaveral and of course on the beaches as well. Those spectators enjoyed a beautiful launch, with Falcon 9 clearly visible until well into the second stage’s flight.

Not long before the launch of Falcon 9, two F-22’s flew near the launch pad over the Banana River.

Booster B0180 Touches Down Safely Near Bahamas

About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, Booster B0180 touched down safely on SpaceX’s ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ automated droneship located offshore in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of the Bahamas, completing its seventh mission safely.

ASOG will return to Port Canaveral in a few days, where the booster will be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center, and after inspection and reconditioning, it will be prepared for its next flight at some future date to be determined.

Booster B1080
Flight NumberMissionDate
1Axiom-2May 21, 2023
2EuclidJuly 1, 2023
3Starlink 6-11August 27 2023
4Starlink 6-24October 22, 2023
5Axiom-3January 18, 2024
6CRS-30March 21, 2024
7Starlink 6-52April 18, 2024
Booster B1080 Flight Record as of April 18, 2024
Starlink 6-52 heading to orbit.
Photo: Charles Boyer ToT

Next Launch

On Monday, April 22, SpaceX plans to launch another tranche of Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

  • Date: NET April 22, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 6-53
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC -40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Time: 06:40 PM EDT (Tentative and subject to change)
  • Payload: 23 Starink 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.

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SpaceX got Falcon 9 to work right at the beginning of tonight’s launch window when it launched the Starlink 6-51 mission at 5:26 PM EDT into the bluebird skies of the Space Coast. The payload was another 23 Starlink satellites to join the company’s ever-growing constellation of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit that provide Internet service to underserved areas globally.

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Representative SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

Another day, another Starlink launch from SpaceX, or so it seems lately. The company is regularly launching new batches of of the Internet service providing satellites, with a new set going up every few days on the average.

Averages can be a bit deceiving, of course, as is the case today: there was a Starlink launch late yesterday afternoon from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, and today, just over twenty-four hours later, SpaceX is planning to send another 23 satellites to orbit from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch window opens at 6:40 PM EDT and runs to 11:11 PM.

Today’s launch will be the 18th launch from SLC-40 this year, the 41st of the year overall from SpaceX, and could mark the 300th Falcon family booster landing. The pace and of course the number of booster landings is remarkable, and the company is making orbital spaceflight seem routine. It never is, of course, and the fact that SpaceX is making it seem as “easy” as they are testifies to their hard work and dedication.

Weather

As they did yesterday, the 45th Weather Squadron has forecasted a 10% Probability of Violation, meaning there is a 90% chance of acceptable weather during the launch window. Their primary concern is the Thick Clouds rule.

Trajectory

Southeast. If you are looking towards the ocean, the rocket will appear to travel left to right as it heads towards space.

Landing

Landing is planned to be on the autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ (ASOG) which is stationed in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of the Bahamas.

After the landing, ASOG will return to Port Canaveral with the booster. It will then be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility on Roberts Road inside Kennedy Space Center for inspection, refurbishment and preparation for its next mission.

Booster: B1080

SpaceX stated on their website that “This is the seventh flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched ESA Euclid, Ax-2, Ax-3, CRS-30, and two Starlink missions.”

That’s Booster B1080. It’s last flight was 28 days ago, on March 21st when it launched CRS-30 to the International Space Station.

Booster B1080 launches Axiom 3, Jannuary 18, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
Booster B1080
Flight NumberMissionDate
1Axiom-2May 21, 2023
2EuclidJuly 1, 2023
3Starlink 6-11August 27 2023
4Starlink 6-24October 22, 2023
5Axiom-3January 18, 2024
6CRS-30March 21, 2024
Booster B1080 Flight Record as of March 21, 2024

Online Viewing

A live webcast of this mission will begin on SpaceX’s X account feed about five minutes prior to liftoff. 
Watch live on X.

SpaceX’s official web page has links to live coverage as well as up-to-date planned launch times. Starlink 6-52 Mission Page.

Spaceflight Now will begin its live launch feed one hour prior to liftoff.
SFN on Youtube.

Watching In Person

This evening’s planned launch is from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral, which means that the best direct views of liftoff are: the Banana River Bridge on FL-528 W near Port Canaveral, or the southern parks on US-1 / S. Washington Avenue in Titusville. Kennedy Point Park and Rotary Riverview Park (among others) are your best bets for free viewing sites.

If you would like to enjoy food and drinks during the launch, you have several options in the Titusville area:

  • Shiloh’s Steak and Seafood (3665 S Washington Ave, Titusville, FL 32780)
    • Casual fine dining, with an outdoor deck overlooking the Indian River and launch pads beyond that.
  • New York New York (5401 Riveredge Dr, Titusville, FL 32780)
    • A local’s go-to for a casual tiki bar on the riverfront without a lot of fuss, but with a very friendly staff. Their kitchen closes at 6:30 PM EDT, so if you’d like to have dinner, get there before 6 PM or so.
  • The Space Bar (6245 Riverfront Center Boulevard, Titusville, FL 32780)
    • On top of the Courtyard by Marriott just off of Kennedy Parkway, the Space Bar has an elevated view of the launch pad as well as food and drinks available. TSB is run by the same company that operates the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center and is across the bridge from KSCVC.

Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach Pier, Jetty Park Pier will have indirect views, meaning that liftoff will not be visible, but after the rocket clears the pad and any ground obstructions, you will be able to see Falcon 9 ascending clearly assuming there are no clouds between you and the rocket. Jetty Park does charge admission and they do not accept cash — visit their web site to purchase an entry pass before you go.

Being that the launch is in the early evening, if you plan to attend in person, don’t forget mosquito spray. Also be prepared for potential changes in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.

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Falcon 9 pushing through the atmosphere creates a vapor cone on the fairings, April 17, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

SpaceX got Falcon 9 to work right at the beginning of tonight’s launch window when it launched the Starlink 6-51 mission at 5:26 PM EDT into the bluebird skies of the Space Coast. The payload was another 23 Starlink satellites to join the company’s ever-growing constellation of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit that provide Internet service to underserved areas globally.

Booster Touches Down Safely Near Bahamas

About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, Booster B1077 touched down safely on SpaceX’s ‘Just Read The Instructions’ automated droneship located offshore in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of the Bahamas, completing its 12th mission safely.

Falcon 9 Ascending: as it near the speed of sound, Falcon 9 created a contrail on April 17, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

Booster B1077

Booster B1077 successfully completed its 12th flight. It entered service on October 5, 2022 and was previously used for Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, and now six Starlink missions, and safely touched down at sea on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions.’

The drone ship will return to Port Canaveral, where it will be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center for inspection, refurbishment and preparation for its next mission.

SpaceX Booster B1077
FlightMissionDate
1Crew-510/15/2023
2GPS III SV0601/18/2023
3 Inmarsat-6 F202/18/2023
4Starlink Group 5-1003/29/2023
5Dragon CRS-2 SpX-2806/05/2023
6Galaxy 3708/03/2023
7Starlink Group 6-1309/01/2023
8Starlink Group 6-2510/30/2023
9Starlink Group 6-3312/07/2023
10Northrup Grumman NG-2001/30/2024
11Starlink Group 6-4303/10/2024
12Starlink Group 6-5104/17/2023
Booster 1077 flight record as of April 17, 2024

Next Launch

The wait won’t be long for the next launch from the Space Coast: weather and spacecraft readiness permitting, SpaceX is planning another Starlink launch Thursday, April 18, this time from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

  • Date: NET April 18, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 6-52
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC -40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Time: 06:40-11:11 PM EDT (Tentative and subject to change)
  • Payload: 23 Starink Satellites

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed at any time due to weather, technical reasons or range conditions.

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Booster B1062’s 20th Ascent Path
Seen from FL 528W in Cape Canaveral. Fishermen were lighting the edges of the river and enjoying the weather as much as the crowd that gathered there to watch the liftoff.
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 tonight from Pad SLC-40 at Cape CAnaveral Space Force Station and sent another twenty-three Starlink satellites to orbit. Liftoff occurred at 09:22 PM EDT on a crisp, clear spring evening on the Space Coast.

Booster B1069 nears Main Engine Cutoff April 12, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

Crowds were heavier than normal along the usual spectator spots, and no one left disappointed — long after staging and for almost seven minutes the second stage could be seen rising and building orbital speed.

As one man said to someone beside me, “Enjoy this, [it] won’t be long until the air is thick and hot as soup.” He’s right. If anything, Friday’s weather was one of the last of Florida spring weather: cool, but not cold with pinpoint stars and crescent moon lighting the sky. It won’t be long until humidity rises and the nightly costal front storms will be a concern for mission managers and launch spectators alike.

Falcon 9 rising: Starlink 6-49 in flight on April 12, 2024
Photo: Ed Cordero, Florida Media Now

Booster Touches Down Safely Near Bahamas

About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, Booster B1062 touched down safely on SpaceX’s A Shortfall of Gravitas automated droneship located offshore in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas, completing its 20th mission safely.

After returning to Port Canaveral several days from now, B1062 will be returned to SpaceX’s facilities at Hangar X at Kennedy Space Center, where it will be inspected, refurbished, and presumably prepared for its next flight. If it reaches the launch pad, it will be for the 21st time.

Booster B1062 Record

FlightMissionDate
1GPS III SV04
Sacagawea		11/05/2020
2GPS III SV05
Neil Armstrong		06/17/2021
3Inspiration 409/16/2021
4Starlink 4-501/06/2022
5Axiom-104/08/2022
6Starlink 4-1604/29/2022
7Nilesat-30106/08/2022
8Starlink 4-2507/24/2022
9Starlink 4-2708/19/2022
10Starlink 4-3610/20/2022
11Starlink 5-112/28/2022
12Starlink 5-402/12/2023
13OneWeb 1703/09/2023
14ArabSat 7B05/27/2023
15Starlink 6-707/28/2023
16Starlink 6-2310/18/2023
17Starlink 6-3011/28/2023
18Starlink 6-3801/29/2024
19Starlink 6-4403/15/2024
20Starlink 6-4904/12/2024
Booster 1062 flight record as of April 12, 2024

Payload

Tonight’s mission delivered 23 Starlink satellites to join other Group 6 satellites.

Next Launch

  • Date: NET April 17, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 6-51
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC -40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Time: 05:24 PM – 09:55 PM EDT (Tentative and subject to change)
  • Payload: 23 Starink Satellites

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed at any time due to weather, technical reasons or range conditions.

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Delta IV Heavy on March 28, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

Today was an active day for launch scheduling: United Launch Alliance has announced that they will make their next attempt to launch Delta IV Heavy and NROL-70 on Tuesday April 9th, and later, NASA announced that the Crewed Flight Test of Boeing’s Starliner is now Monday, May 6th.

Delta IV Heavy / NROL-70

Delta IV was scrubbed at T-min 3:58 by a faulty gaseous nitrogen pump on its first attempt March 28, and at the time, ULA engineers and CEO Tory Bruno were optimistic that a second attempt could happen the next day. Unfortunately, the pump failed again, and ULA stated that they would announce a new launch date only when they were certain that they and NASA (who provides the N2 service to the pad) were past the problem.

Today ULA released their new target date:

DELTA IV HEAVY TO LAUNCH NROL-70

“A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket is launching the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This is the 16th and final launch of a Delta IV Heavy rocket. 

Launch Date and Time: April 9 at 12:53 p.m. EDT, pending range approval

GO Delta IV Heavy! GO NROL-70!“

United Launch Alliance, April 2, 2024

The launch will be from SLC-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Starliner Crewed Flight Test (CFT)

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 4, 2022.
Photo: NASA/Frank Michaux

Later on in the day, rumors of a shift in the Starliner launch date from May 1st came to pass when NASA made this announcement:

NASA, Boeing Update Launch Date for Starliner’s First Astronaut Flight

“Following a review of the International Space Station operations, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeting no earlier than Monday, May 6, for Starliner’s first launch with astronauts to the orbital complex. The date adjustment optimizes space station schedule of activities planned toward the end of April, including a cargo spacecraft undocking and a crew spacecraft port relocation required for Starliner docking. NASA and Boeing also are performing prelaunch closeout work and completing final certification for flight.”

NASA, Boeing Update Launch Date for Starliner’s First Astronaut Flight

It should be noted that Starliner’s launch date was not moved due to any technical issue, but instead because of ISS logistics.

NASA Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be aboard Starliner when it heads to the International Space Station for a planned one week stay on the orbiting outpost.

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SpaceX / Eutelsat 36 lifts off from LC-39A at KSC. This was the view from Playalinda Beach near Wilson’s Corner in Brevard County
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets to orbit Saturday: first, at 5:52 PM EDT Eutelsat 36D from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, then at 9:30 PM, Starlink 6-45 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — a three-hour, thirty-minute gap between launches. Not one to rest on their laurels, the company also has slated another Starlink launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California between 11:54 PM and 2:30 AM EDT later on this evening.

EUTEL 36D Mission

The Eutelsat mission opened today’s launches at 5:52 PM EDT on a day that Florida tourist boards dream of: a warm sunny day with light winds that brought crowds to the beaches and riverfront not only to enjoy seeing a launch but also simply enjoy the nearly perfect weather.

Falcon 9 created a “smoke ring” around the time it was reaching MAX-Q this afternoon.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Tourists and locals lined not only the usual spectator spots on US-1 in Titusville, but also with an at-capacity Playalinda Beach on Cape Canaveral National Seashore, where lines to enter were long and parking lots were eventually full. Those that made into Playalinda enjoyed a picture-perfect launch at the start of the launch window, with Falcon 9 climbing into a blue sky.

The payload was a telecommunications satellite, EUTELSAT 36D, which will replace the company’s EUTELSAT 36B at 36° East. According to Eutelsat, “36° East is a key orbital slot for broadcasters. Home to two powerful satellites, EUTELSAT 36B and EUTELSAT 36C, together they support the broadcast business of several major anchor customers.” Eutelsat 36D will eventually replace the 36B satellite, and will “[A]ssure all the main legacy missions of EUTELSAT 36B, with enhancements to coverage areas and performance.”

A boy sits on his father’s shoulders and watches Falcon 9 ascending from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on March 30. 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

EUTELSAT 36D Booster

SpaceX used Booster B1076 for the mission, which successfully completed its twelfth flight after safely touching down aboard the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Previously, B1076 had supported the NASA CRS-26 ISS resupply mission, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat IS-40e, O3b mPOWER, Ovzon 3, and six Starlink missions.

Starlink 6-45 Mission

Later Saturday evening, SpaceX sent another batch of 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to orbit, adding to the company’s ever-growing Starlink constellation used to provide global Internet connectivity. The launch was at 9:30 PM EDT, and was visible over much of Florida, with people as far as Crystal River, which is located about 90 minutes north of Tampa near the Gulf of Mexico.

Starlink 6-45 rising towards orbit as seen from the west coast of Florida near Spring Hill. Photo: Mark Stone, Florida Media Now
Starlink 6-45 rising towards orbit as seen from the west coast of Florida near Spring Hill.
Photo: Mark Stone, Florida Media Now

Starlink 6-45 Booster

For that mission, SpaceX used Booster B1067 for the18th time. Previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, mPOWER-a, PSN SATRIA, Telkomsat Merah Putih 2 and now has completed nine Starlink missions. It safely touched down on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ about eight and one-half minutes after launching.

Next Launch

SpaceX will launch another tranche of Starlink satellites on Friday, April 5th from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 6-47 mission.

The launch window for this mission has not been announced by the company, but if it follows the bulk of other Group 6 Starlink missions, launch time will be sometime in the evening. Stay tuned to Talk of Titusville for a mission preview later this week as more information becomes available.

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A Falcon 9 lifting off of SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral in early evening.
Photo: Charles Boyer, ToT

Monday is the day most of us get back to work, and SpaceX is no exception: the company plans to launch a Falcon 9 carrying 23 more Starlink v2 Mini satellites to orbit early this evening from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch window extends from 5:00 PM – 9:31 PM EDT.

Tonight’s launch will be the 175th Falcon 9 launch from SLC-40, and the 260th overall from the venerable launch pad, which opened for business in 1965.

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron has issued a forecast for today’s launch, and according to them, there is less than a 5% Probability of Violation for weather conditions. That means the chances of acceptable weather are greater than 95%:

Trajectory

Launch trajectory will be southeastward. So far, all Group 6 Starlink missions have taken this path.

Landing

The Falcon 9 first stage will attempt to land on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’, which will be located in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of the Bahamas.

After landing, ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ will return to Port Canaveral, and the booster will be offloaded and returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center for inspection, refurbishment and possible reuse for a future launch.

Booster

SpaceX has not yet announced the booster that will be used for this mission. We will add the pertinent data here as it becomes available.

Online Viewing

A live webcast of this mission will begin on SpaceX’s X account feed about five minutes prior to liftoff. 
Watch live on X.

SpaceX’s official web page has links to live coverage as well as up-to-date planned launch times. Starlink 6-44 Mission Page.

Spaceflight Now will begin its live launch feed one hour prior to liftoff.
SFN on Youtube.

Launch Viewing: In Person

This evening’s planned launch is from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral, which means that the best direct views of liftoff are: Banana River Bridge on FL-528 W near Port Canaveral, or the  southern parks on US-1 / S. Washington Avenue in Titusville. Kennedy Point Park and,Rotary Riverview Park (among others) are your best bets.

Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach Pier, Jetty Park Pier will have indirect views, meaning that liftoff will not be visible, but after the rocket clears the pad and any ground obstructions, you will be able to see Falcon 9 ascending clearly assuming there are no clouds between you and the rocket.

Being that the launch is early evening, if you plan to attend in person, don’t forget mosquito spray.

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