SpaceX to launch 20 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX is trying to full a double launch day on Tuesday with a Starlink mission from Vandenberg Area Drive Base. The Starlink 9-7 mission is scheduled only a few hours after the Starlink 10-10 mission is ready to conclude after launching from Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station.

Liftoff from Area Launch Complicated 4 East (SLC-4E) is ready for 1:07 a.m. PDT (4:07 a.m. EDT, 0807 UTC) from Area Launch Complicated 4 East (SLC-4E) at Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station.

Spaceflight Now can have stay protection starting about half-hour previous to liftoff.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail quantity B1071 within the SpaceX fleet, will launch for a nineteenth time. It beforehand supported three missions for the Nationwide Reconnaissance Workplace (NROL-87, -85 and -146), two rideshare missions (Transporter-8 and -9) and 11 earlier Starlink missions.

Slightly greater than eight minutes after liftoff, B1071 will goal a landing on the SpaceX droneship ‘Of Course I Nonetheless Love You.’ If profitable, it can mark the 104th booster touchdown on OCISLY and the 354th booster touchdown to this point.

Onboard the mission are 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, of which 13 function Direct to Cell capabilities. As SpaceX appears to construct out this a part of its constellation, this mission will convey the whole as much as 246 DTC Starlink satellites on orbit.

The Starlink 9-7 mission is the primary batch of DTC Starlink satellites to launch since america was hit by each Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Following the landfall of the latter, SpaceX introduced it was granted entry to activate the DTC satellites “to supply emergency alerts for all telephones and carriers of these in affected areas.”

“The [Federal Communications Commission] has additionally quickly authorized emergency particular short-term authority for protection in Florida forward of Hurricane Milton,” SpaceX mentioned in a social media submit. “We have now now enabled fundamental texting (SMS) for these on T-Cellphones in hurricane affected areas. Textual content messages have already been despatched and obtained.”

SpaceX additionally printed a protection map of the areas struck by the hurricanes and said that in these areas, “Starlink service is now free via the tip of the 12 months to assist with response and restoration efforts.”

For these impacted by Hurricanes Helene or Milton, Starlink service is now free via the tip of the 12 months to assist with response and restoration efforts → pic.twitter.com/vEaGPavsFz

— Starlink (@Starlink) October 11, 2024