SpaceX is preparing to launch a satellite into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on behalf of one of its oldest customers, Luxembourg-based SES, as the prolific launch company looks to bounce back from an unusually slow launch pace that was caused by a last-minute cancellation when another engine on its Falcon 9 rocket began to fire.
The mission is scheduled to launch at 5:35 pm EDT (21:35 UTC) and will mark the 45th orbital flight from Florida’s Space Coast in 2024.
Spaceflight Now will begin live coverage approximately one hour before launch.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission is tail number B1080 and will be the ninth launch in SpaceX’s rocket fleet, which has previously supported two Axiom Space commercial astronaut missions (Ax-2 and Ax-3), the European Space Agency’s Euclid Observatory, and four Starlink missions.
Approximately 8.5 minutes after launch, B1080 will land on SpaceX’s “Just Read the Directions” drone. If successful, it will mark JRTI’s 84th booster landing and SpaceX’s 250th drone landing ever.
Whether the mission will go ahead as planned will again depend on the weather. A forecast issued Monday by the 45th Weather Squadron gives a 55 percent chance of good weather, but notes that winds, cumulus clouds and possible lightning at launch are all potential threats. Meteorologists are also tracking low- to moderate-level upper-air wind shear.
Wednesday’s 24-hour backup scenario would be worse from a weather perspective, with the chance of good weather dropping to 45 percent and bad weather for booster retrieval.
SpaceX is weathering an unusual period without any Falcon 9 launches, and if it can launch its Astra 1P satellite on June 18, it will be 10 days before its final launch.
The last time there was such a long gap was between the launch of Starlink 7-8 on December 8, 2023, and Starlink 6-34 on December 19, 2023. Since the latter mission, SpaceX has launched 64 orbital missions, one of which was a Falcon Heavy rocket.
SpaceX vice president of launch Kiko Donchev posted on Twitter about the ignition failure during Friday’s Starlink 10-2 launch attempt. While he didn’t go into details, he said it was a “real issue” that prevented the launch and that SpaceX would need to “do a thorough inspection of the rocket’s hardware.”
“This week will be the first in a long time without a Falcon launch. Unplanned downtime due to weather or unforeseen issues will happen, but it’s how you respond that counts,” Donchev wrote. “The launch business takes guts. It’s when things go wrong that we really show who we are. Go for it!!!”
Welcome back, SES
The rocket, which will be SpaceX’s 61st Falcon 9 launch of 2024, is carrying the Astra 1P satellite, also known as SES-24. The Luxembourg-based telecommunications company is a long-time customer of SpaceX’s launch services.
In fact, the first payload launched by a Falcon 9 into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) was SES-8 on December 3, 2013, the rocket’s seventh launch.
The upcoming Astra 1P satellite continues the tradition of television satellites in the Astra 19.2°E group, which dates back to Astra 1A, launched in 1988. Currently, there are four satellites in this orbital position: Astra 1KR, Astra 1L, Astra 1M and Astra 1N.
The Astra 1KR and Astra 1L were built by Lockheed Martin, while the Astra 1M and Astra 1N were built by Astrium (now Airbus Defence & Space). In 2021, SES contracted with Thales Alenia Space to begin production of the Astra 1P and Astra 1Q.
Both Astra 1P and Astra 1Q will have DTH (direct-to-home) capabilities, but the latter will also be “customizable in-orbit and easily deployable to other orbital locations.”
“Our prime television station area at 19.2 degrees east longitude is one of our most valuable assets and has played a key role in helping well-known European broadcasters grow their television audiences over the past three decades. These two satellites have the resiliency, reliability and redundancy our video customers need, enabling us to deliver continuous premium service through to 2040,” SES CEO Steve Coller said in a statement in 2021. “Furthermore, advanced satellite technology future-proofs our investment and injects a high degree of flexibility into ASTRA 1Q, ensuring we can meet the changing needs of all the markets we serve.”