25.08.2023

What you need to know: SpaceX reschedules Falcon 9 Starlink launch to end of the week

Update: (Wednesday, Aug. 23) SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have rescheduled the next Falcon 9 Starlink mission originally slated to fly Wednesday night to no earlier than Friday, Aug. 25, during a window from 9:13 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EDT as indicated by updated Space Force launch weather forecasts. The company has not confirmed the existence of the mission or provided any reason for rescheduling, but at nearby Kennedy Space Center, teams are readying for the launch of NASA's Crew-7 mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 slated for liftoff at 3:49 a.m., Friday, Aug. 25.

If schedules hold, these missions would become the Space Coast's 43rd and 44th launches this year.

When is SpaceX's next Starlink mission?

As indicated by updated Space Force launch weather forecasts, SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Friday, Aug. 25, during a window that extends from 9:13 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EDT for the launch of the latest Falcon 9 Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Originally slated to fly Wednesday night, The Starlink 6-11 mission is now scheduled to fly hours after Friday's targeted launch of NASA's Crew-7 mission from nearby Kennedy Space Center at 3:49 a.m. EDT.

What is the weather outlook for the Starlink 6-11 mission:

An updated weather forecast for the Starlink 6-11 mission, provided by forecasters with the Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 on Wednesday afternoon, projected liftoff conditions to be 90% "go" for the duration of Friday's launch window.

"Unseasonably dry weather will be dominant through the early part of next week as high pressure will remain in place across the southeastern U.S. Easterly flow will be persistent, so isolated onshore moving showers cannot be ruled out," the report said.

A slight chance for cumulus clouds around the spaceport was listed as the primary concern.

Here's everything you need to know about Starlink 6-11:

• Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40 will host.
• The payload is the company's next batch of Starlink internet-beaming satellites.
• The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeasterly trajectory threading between Florida and the Bahamas.
• No local sonic booms with this mission.
• The 130-foot first-stage booster will target a drone ship landing about eight minutes after liftoff.

When's the next SpaceX launch from Florida?

The next Falcon 9 slated for liftoff from Florida will send NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Targeted for liftoff at 3:49 a.m. EDT, Friday, Aug. 25, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will fly aboard SpaceX's Endurance Dragon capsule to the space station for the six-month science mission.

Space Force forecasters last reported weather conditions around the launch site to be 85% "go" for liftoff.

In a report released Wednesday, forecasters with Space Launch Delta 45 expected there to be "a modest increase in moisture and better, though still below normal, chances for Atlantic showers into Thursday."

"There are some discrepancies in how far south this band gets by Thursday night, but even the more enthusiastic scenarios suggest that any activity would be in the form of low topped Atlantic showers," forecasters said.

Only a slight chance of cumulus clouds around the launch site was listed as a concern.

Quelle: Florida Today

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Update: 27.08.2023

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