SpaceX Starlink 6-11 Mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the company’s latest batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on August 26, 2023.
SpaceX
The second of SpaceX’s two Falcon 9 launches this week vaulted away from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday night, less than 18 hours after the liftoff of NASA’s Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station from nearby Kennedy Space Center.
That mission was set to dock with the space station at 8:50 a.m. EDT Sunday after a 30-hour trip in orbit.
At 9:05 p.m. EDT, the 230-foot rocket packed with another batch of 22 Starlink internet satellites soared away from Launch Complex 40 on a southeasterly trajectory, skirting between the Florida coast and the Bahamas. It was visible across the state by fans at both Daytona International Speedway at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and at Exploria Stadium in Orlando during the Orlando City MLS soccer game.
The rocket’s first stage landed aboard the Just Read the Instructions drone ship about eight minutes after liftoff, completing its third mission to date.
Meanwhile, the Space Coast’s next launch, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V slated for liftoff Tuesday morning, may have to contend with poor weather conditions. A storm system brewing off the southwest coast of Florida could impact the area by early week.
What was the payload of Saturday’s SpaceX launch?
Starlink is SpaceX’s space-based internet service, primarily for hard-to-reach locations. The constellation, which operates about 340 miles above Earth, delivers coverage to most of North and South America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
All told, the company has sent more than 5,000 of the flat-packed satellites to orbit since 2019.
Last year, SpaceX also inked a deal with cellular service provider T-Mobile to allow users to access Starlink internet services to send text messages. The plan, called “Coverage Above & Beyond,” is expected to be available to T-mobile customers by the end of this year.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7: Falcon 9 soared from KSC early Saturday sending a crew of four to the International Space Station
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When’s the next launch from Florida?
The next launch slated for liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast is United Launch Alliance’s second of the year.
Teams at the Cape’s Launch Complex 41 are preparing an Atlas V rocket with a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office to launch early next week.
The payload is part of the Space Force’s Silent Barker satellite constellation network intended to provide space situational awareness, orbital surveillance, and tracking.
Liftoff of the NROL-107 mission is slated for 8:34 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, Aug. 29, that will arc over the Atlantic Ocean on an easterly trajectory.
Weather outlook iffy for next liftoff:
A weather report released Saturday by the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron projected conditions to be 70% “go” for ULA’s liftoff from the Cape Tuesday morning.
“An area of low pressure is currently developing in the northwest Caribbean Sea and will push northwards into the Gulf of Mexico early next week,” the report said. “While there is still some disagreement among the global models regarding the position, timing, and intensity of this potential storm, by Tuesday morning, most of the models have the system well to our southwest, somewhere in the southeastern Gulf.”
The primary concerns for launch day were listed at cumulus and anvil clouds around the spaceport, as well as a likelihood of some shower development. Conditions deteriorate to 35% “go” for a backup opportunity 24 hours later on Wednesday.
If schedules hold, this mission would become the Space Coast’s 45th launch this year. Follow FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team live launch coverage beginning 90 minutes before liftoff.
For the latest updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jamie Groh at [email protected] and follow her on X.com at @AlteredJamie.
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Launch Tuesday, August 29
- Company / Agency: United Launch Alliance for Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office
- Rocket: Atlas V 551
- Location: Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Launch Time: 8:34 a.m. EDT
- Trajectory: East
- Weather: 70% “go”
- Landing: None; Atlas V is expendable
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space
- About: ULA’s Atlas V rocket will launch the classified NROL-107 national security mission for the U.S. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. The payload is part of the Space Force’s Silent Barker satellite constellation network intended to provide space situational awareness, orbital surveillance, and tracking.
