On Tuesday, January 21 at 12:24 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Video by SpaceX of the launch and booster return were unavailable. Yesterday’s forecast was accurate in, “100% cloud cover and a wind speed of 11mph.”
This was the 8th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, and now four Starlink missions.
SpaceX plans Tuesday Starlink Group 13-1 smallsat launch
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, January 21 for a Falcon 9 launch of Group 13-1 of 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 12:24 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:11 a.m. ET. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Wednesday, January 22 starting at 1:07 a.m. ET. at a cost of $52 million.
According to weather officials, there’s a 85% chance of favorable weather conditions at the time of the launch. The forecast calls for a temperature of 55°F, overcast clouds, 100% cloud cover and a wind speed of 11mph.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This is the 8th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, and three 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.