Replace Oct. 17, 4:38 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is transferring to their 24-hour backup date for the launch and is focusing on liftoff no earlier the Friday, Oct. 18.
Replace Oct. 17, 5:08 p.m. EDT: Including new forecast data for the up to date launch alternative.
Replace Oct. 18, 2:45 p.m. EDT: Including particulars relating to the Falcon 9 rocket and the payload.
Replace Oct. 18, 8:01 p.m. EDT: SpaceX launched the mission and landed the primary stage booster on its droneship.
Replace Oct. 18, 8:36 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirms profitable deployment of the 20 Starlink satellites.
In opposition to the backdrop of a pink and purple sundown, SpaceX launched its third batch of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit since Monday morning. It was in a position to overcome a blustery night that at occasions noticed wind gusts of greater than 26 miles per hour.
Liftoff of the Starlink 8-19 mission from Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station occurred at 7:31 p.m. EDT (2331 UTC) on Friday, Oct. 18.
Thursday night, the forty fifth Climate Squadron issued a launch climate forecast for the brand new launch date of Friday, which confirmed solely a 40 % probability of favorable climate at liftoff. Liftoff winds have been forecast to be between 19 and 26 miles per hour.
“Sturdy onshore stream will proceed by the weekend because the excessive strain throughout the jap U.S. will persist. Moisture shall be gradual to return, however some remoted onshore-moving showers are attainable by the backup day,” meteorologists mentioned. “The first concern stays Liftoff Winds with the addition of the Cumulus Cloud Rule for Saturday.”
The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting the mission, tail quantity B1076 within the SpaceX fleet, launched for a seventeenth time. It beforehand supported Intelsat 40e, Turksat-6A, the twenty sixth Industrial Resupply Companies (CRS-26) mission to the Worldwide Area Station and eight earlier Starlink missions.
A little bit greater than eight minutes after liftoff, B1076 touched down on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Simply Learn the Directions.’ The mission marked the 94th profitable booster touchdown utilizing JRTI and the 355th booster touchdown up to now.
Onboard the rocket are 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, of which 13 function Direct to Cell capabilities. With a profitable deployment, the overall variety of DTC Starlink satellites launched now stands at 259.
This launch of Starlink satellites additionally introduced the overall variety of orbital launches from Florida this 12 months to 71, one shy from tying the overall launched in 2023.
