Space Force: Weather iffy for weekend SpaceX Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral

Weather conditions for the Space Coast's next launch are expected to be iffy during the window Saturday evening, according to Space Force forecasters, but should improve before it closes later in the night.

Conditions for the launch of more Starlink internet satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket should be 35% "go" when the window opens at 7:01 p.m. EDT Saturday. Forecasters said a gradual improvement over the long window at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which runs until 11:04 p.m. EDT, could see that probability go up to 85% "go."

"The probability of weather violations will be above normal for both the primary day and backup day attempts, particularly during the front end of each window when active thunderstorms and their associated cloud cover are likely to be in closer proximity to the pad," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Thursday. "Later in the window, thunderstorms are expected to diminish or move off the coast and into the Atlantic, with remnant cloud cover across the area gradually thinning."

In the event of a delay or scrub to Sunday, the window at Launch Complex 40 would be roughly the same. Regardless of which day it launches, the rocket will target a drone ship landing in the Atlantic a few minutes after liftoff.

This flight will mark the Space Coast's 36th of the year and, if successful, push SpaceX closer to having launched 5,000 of the internet-beaming Starlink internet satellites. The company hopes to launch tens of thousands more to provide global coverage.

Beyond Saturday night's launch, SpaceX is also gearing up to launch its three-core Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than around 11 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 26. It's tasked with taking EchoStar's Jupiter 3 satellite to orbit, which is the largest commercial communications satellite ever built, according to the company. That mission will include dual booster landings at the Cape's Landing Zones 1 and 2.

Quelle: Florida Today

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Update: 24.07.2023

Start von SpaceX’s 89th Starlink mission and 90th Starlink