A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch tonight to deliver satellites into orbit for SpaceX’s Starlink Internet service. Liftoff from Pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 6:39 p.m. EDT 2239 UTC).
It’s going to be a busy night for SpaceX crews on Florida’s Space Coast. Early Friday morning at 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, they launched the Falcon Heavy rocket for NASA’s Psyche launch, which is now scheduled for October 12. Tonight they plan to test the 27 first stage engines. counting down to the Falcon 9 launch. Spaceflight Now will bring you live coverage from both launch sites.
File photo Falcon 9 prior to the Starlink satellite delivery mission. Image: SpaceX. Stormy weather is forecast for central Florida today, and Cape Canaveral’s 45th Weather Squadron is predicting just a 40 percent chance of a Falcon 9 launch Friday night. If necessary, there will be three additional launch opportunities on Friday.
If the weather cooperates, Falcon 9 will lift off from pad 40 and aim for a trajectory that will fly southeast. After stage separation, after about two and a half minutes of flight, Booster 1069, on its tenth flight, will land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be about 420 miles (675 km) below. Atlantic Ocean east of the Bahamas.
This will be SpaceX’s 43rd Starlink launch mission of the year. If all goes according to plan, the 22 so-called V2 Mini satellites will be launched one hour and five minutes after liftoff. SpaceX recently announced that more than two million subscribers in more than 60 countries have signed up for its Starlink Internet service.
