SpaceX Starlink 6-13 Mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company’s latest batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on August 31, 2023.
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The SpaceX team at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is on track to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink Internet satellites from Launch Complex 40 on Friday night after aborting the first attempt Thursday night. .
Launch of the Starlink 6-16 mission is targeted for Friday, September 15th at 11:38pm ET.
Check this page for updates on live launch coverage from the Space Team starting 90 minutes before the window opens. SpaceX live streams hosted on X (formerly Twitter) will appear at the top of this page when they become available approximately 5 minutes before launch.
Liftoff of the 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket is tentatively set for Friday at 11:38 p.m. EDT. The Falcon 9’s payload fairing packs 22 Starlink internet satellites.
Additional launch opportunities are available at 12:07 a.m. EDT if needed. Saturday. Additionally, there will be two backup opportunities later Saturday at 11:13pm and 11:38pm ET.
After a brief flight along a southeasterly trajectory, about eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9’s first stage booster will be set to target the drone ship as it lands at sea.
Forecasters with the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron last reported a 45 percent chance that conditions around the spaceport would be “go” during the launch period Friday night. The restoration conditions for the drone ship landing were determined to be “low to medium risk.”
If all goes to schedule, this will be the Space Coast’s 49th launch of the year.
A weather report released Wednesday by the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicted a 45% “go” status for launch. Recovery conditions for the booster, which landed on a drone ship at sea, are listed as “low to moderate risk” as the front moves south toward central Florida, bringing deeper moisture to the peninsula.
“Showers and storms will be higher in the preliminary launch period Friday night. Cumulus and anvil cloud rules will remain the primary concern for launch,” the weather corps forecast said.
As the SpaceX team prepares for another launch from the Cape, Hurricane Lee continues to generate large waves far off the Florida coastline and for drone ships awaiting booster landing attempts off the coast of the Bahamas. This could be a problem.
Here’s what else you need to know:
- Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will be held.
- The payload is the next batch of the company’s Starlink internet beam satellites.
- The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeast trajectory between Florida and the Bahamas.
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- If the launch goes as planned, it will be the Space Coast’s 49th launch of the year.
- There will be no localized sonic booms in this mission.
- The 130-foot-tall first-stage booster will target the drone ship, which will land about eight minutes after liftoff.
- This will be the fifth flight of this particular first stage booster.
When is the next launch from Florida’s Space Coast?
More SpaceX Starlink missions are scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station next week, but the company has not yet announced when the next mission will launch. For the latest schedule updates, please visit: floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Rick Neale is FLORIDA TODAY’s South Brevard Watchdog reporter (click here for more of his coverage.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Contact Jamie Groh. JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her X @AlteredJamie.