Cape Canaveral, Florida – SpaceX It is now set to launch on Friday and Saturday, reversing course on the same-day launch plan He could have made history For the tightest shift between two launches.
SpaceX announce It is prioritizing the launch of the Falcon 9 for the O3b mPOWER mission on Friday, and is targeting the launch of the company’s Starlink satellites on Saturday. Initially slated for Friday and likely to be less than 35 minutes apart, both launches would have set the record for the fastest turnaround among orbital launches from Florida’s Space Coast, which has stood since November 11, 1966.
The launch Friday from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will power a pair of Internet communications satellites for its customer SES, a Luxembourg-based satellite operator. An 87-minute takeoff window is set to open at 4:21 PM ET.
Then, on Saturday, at nearby Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center, Falcon 9 will send another batch of Internet-broadcasting Starlink satellites into orbit.
Both missions were expected to include Falcon 9 booster landings in the first stage on separate, unmanned ships stationed in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after liftoff.
SpaceX did not respond to inquiries from Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network, regarding this story.
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The company’s fastest turnaround between launches is about 15 hours. This record dates back to December 2021.
SpaceX flew a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on December 18 of that year, ferrying a batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. Then 15 hours later, from Pad 40 at Space Force Station Cape Canaveral, a second Falcon 9 lifted the Turksat 5B mission for Turkey.
Jamie Groh is a satellite correspondent for Florida Today. You can contact her at [email protected]. follow her Twitter @AlteredJamie.
The first launch date is set for Friday
- Company/Agency: SpaceX for SES.
- Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9.
- Site: Pad40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- launch time: 4:21-5:49 p.m
- a path: the Northeast.
- weather: 90% “go”.
- Landing: unmanned ship.
- Live coverage: It starts 90 minutes before take-off floridatoday.com/space.
- Around: The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch two O3b mPower satellites 1 and 2 for Luxembourg satellite operator SES. Satellites are primarily designed to provide internet connectivity.
The second launch is scheduled for Friday
- Company/Agency: SpaceX Starlink internal mission.
- Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9.
- Site: Pad39-A at Kennedy Space Center.
- launch time: 4:54-5:13 p.m
- a path: the Northeast.
- weather: 90% “go”.
- Landing: unmanned ship.
- Live coverage: It starts 90 minutes before take-off floridatoday.com/space
- Around: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a group of Internet-broadcast Starlink satellites into orbit.
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