On Friday, March 15 at 8:21 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This was the 19th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and now 12 Starlink missions.
UPDATE 2: SpaceX Starlinks third stand down — Wednesday, Thursday now Friday
UPDATE 2: SpaceX is targeting as early as Friday, March 15 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 6:39 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 10:39 p.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Saturday, March 16 starting at 6:13 p.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about five minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.
This is the 19th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and 11 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
UPDATE 1: Tonight’s Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites was scrubbed with just about two minutes remaining in the countdown.
SpaceX is now targeting Thursday, March 14 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 7:04 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 10:40 p.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Friday, March 15 starting at 6:39 p.m. ET.
SpaceX’s next launch window will open at 7:04 p.m. Thursday.
The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron pegged the odds of “go for launch” conditions at 95% for this backup window.
“On Thursday, the boundary will have cleared to our north, taking most of the mid-level moisture with it. Excellent weather is on tap for a launch attempt Thursday evening with the Cumulus Cloud Rule being only a distant concern,” the squadron’s forecast said.
SpaceX is planning two missions from two launchpads in two days. A launch is planned on Wednesday, March 13 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 9:25 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 11:29 p.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Thursday, March 14 starting at 7:04 p.m. ET.
This will mark more than 6,000 Starlink satellites launched to date.
A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about five minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.
This is the 19th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and 11 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean