Up to date 7:21 p.m. EST (0021 UTC)
SpaceX scrubbed the deliberate launch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral House Power Station on Sunday evening. In a submit on X, previously Twitter, the corporate stated it was delaying the launch to Monday, Nov. 11, “on account of unfavorable restoration climate situations.”
As a possible further issue, the Falcon 9 rocket wasn’t introduced upright on the launch pad till about 4.5 hours forward of the deliberate liftoff time, shorter than the six hours usually used earlier than a launch.
Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral House Power Station is now scheduled for Monday, Nov. 11, at 4:02 p.m. EST (2102 UTC). If wanted further launch alternatives can be found till 7:44 p.m. EST (0044 UTC Tuesday).
When it does launch, SpaceX will proceed to check the boundaries of its Falcon 9 rocket with its subsequent launch of Starlink satellites. The Starlink 6-69 mission options 24 of the V2 Mini number of the satellite tv for pc, which seems to be the utmost that may flown on a single Falcon 9 launch to this explicit shell.
SpaceX has solely as soon as earlier than launched 24 of the V2 mini Starlink satellites for the Group 6 shell from Cape Canaveral on Starlink 6-39 in February. After that, subsequent missions maxed out at 23 satellites.
Spaceflight Now could have reside protection starting about an hour previous to liftoff.
The forty fifth Climate Squadron forecast pretty idilic situations for launch on Sunday. Launch climate officers stated there needs to be a 90 % likelihood of favorable climate throughout the launch window.
“The big excessive stress system to the northeast continues to persist by means of the weekend, leading to constant onshore circulate for the east coast of Florida. It will deliver a reasonably regular stream of shallow cumulus clouds all through the interval, together with very remoted showers,” meteorologists wrote. “By late Sunday the excessive stress will start to weaken and exit to the east permitting a weak tropical trough to enter the area from the south.”
The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail quantity B1080 within the SpaceX fleet, can be launching for a twelfth time. It beforehand supported the launches of 4 missions to the Worldwide House Station (Ax-2, Ax-3, Cygnus NG-21 and CRS-30), the European House Company’s (ESA) Euclid observatory, the SES 24 communications satellite tv for pc and 4 prior Starlink missions.
Somewhat greater than eight minutes after liftoff, B1080 will land on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ If profitable, it will mark the 84th touchdown on ASOG.
Ramping up launches
The launch of 24 Starlink satellites comes as SpaceX seems to be to ramp up its launch cadence to get as shut a attainable to the purpose it set in the beginning of the yr of 144 missions – a goal it admits it could actually now not attain. Sunday’s mission would be the firm’s third launch in 4 days and it plans to launch a Korean communications satellite tv for pc Monday, adopted by two extra Starlink supply missions earlier than the top of the week.
Starlink 6-69 can be SpaceX’s 107th Falcon 9 rocket launch this yr between its two launch pads in Florida and single pad in California.
Following a launch from Vandenberg House Power Base on Friday at 10:14 p.m. PDT (1:14 a.m. EST, 0614 UTC on Saturday), Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX’s vp of launch, stated that the corporate was lately authorized to launch as much as 50 occasions this yr from VSFB.
“Don’t get it twisted… @SpaceX and @SpaceForceDoD are dedicated to nationwide safety AND defending the surroundings,” Dontchev stated in a submit on X, previously Twitter. “As a part of the approval for elevated cadence, we’re implementing a really sturdy and detailed species monitoring and mitigation program.
“We are going to use information and science, not politics, to guard our planet as we push additional into the photo voltaic system and make life multi-planetary!”
Superb work by the @SpaceX west coast staff on launch #37(!!!) from Vandenberg this yr. We’re so grateful for our superb partnership with the @SLDelta30, @SpaceForceDoD, and @DeptofDefense. A lot effort from all events went into clearing the best way for elevated launch…
— Kiko Dontchev (@TurkeyBeaver) November 9, 2024
Again in mid-October, the Los Angeles Instances reported that the California Coastal Fee rejected a request by SpaceX to extend their variety of permitted launch to 50. The proposal was additionally backed by U.S. House Power and U.S. Air Power officers.
The pushback from commissioners was reportedly related to the ramped up political exercise by SpaceX Founder Elon Musk within the lead as much as the presidential election.
“This firm is owned by the richest individual on the earth with direct management of what may very well be probably the most expansive communications system within the planet,” Commissioner Mike Wilson stated. “Simply final week that individual was speaking about political retribution.”
The fee additionally stated SpaceX wanted to do extra within the realm of environmental monitoring and mitigation efforts. The L.A. Instances reported that army personnel did agree “to extend monitoring and to arrange an interagency working group that features U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the Nationwide Marine Fisheries Service and the Federal Aviation Administration to handle considerations because the variety of launches will increase.”
The Instances additionally famous that SpaceX has plans to extend as much as 100 launches from California in 2025.
