On Tuesday, June 3, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink Group 12-19 smallsats, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from foggy Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff was 12:43 a.m. ET.,
Today’s launch is SpaceX’s 509th launch overall, 70th launch of the year, and first launch of the month.
This is the 21st flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and 13 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX plans Monday Starlink Group 12-19 smallsats launch including 13 Direct to Cell with challenge of heavy cloud cover
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, June 3 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink smallsats, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for Monday 9:43 PM – 10:28 PM PDT/Tuesday 12:43 a.m. ET., with backup opportunities until 1:28 a.m. ET. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Wednesday, June 4 starting at 12:02 a.m. ET.
Officials are monitoring weather conditions with concerns related to Cumulus Cloud Rule, Surface Electric Fields Rule. The forecast calls for a temperature of 78°F, light rain, 82% cloud cover, a wind speed of 9mph and 0.49in of rain.
On Monday, the 45th Weather Squadron published a new launch weather forecast for this next launch opportunity. In it, meteorologists said SpaceX would be facing a 65 percent chance for favorable weather.
“A frontal boundary will linger across Northeast Florida through the next several days, bringing deteriorating weather with a deepening mid-level moisture pattern,” launch weather officers wrote. “Most daytime convection should be done by the time of the launch window Monday night, but some showers and anvil clouds may linger past midnight and beyond.
“The main concern for the initial launch window will be for cumulus clouds, surface electric fields, and anvil clouds.”
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This is the 21st flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and 13 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.9:43 PM – 10:28 PM PDT
SpaceX scrubs Sunday night launch of Starlink Group 12-19 smallsats including 13 Direct to Cell due to Coronal Mass Ejection
SpaceX has scrubbed its plans to launch 23 Starlink satellites in the early Monday morning with no explanation.
While the weather didn’t play so much a factor space weather is also a critical after a massive Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun on Friday and arrived at Earth Sunday, triggering a major disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field, known as a geomagnetic storm. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center declared the storm ‘G4 (Severe)’ on a warning scale which tops out at G5.
According to NOAA, a G4 storm can impact spacecraft with “surface charging and tracking problems” and “corrections may be needed for orientation problems”.
SpaceX’s Sunday night launch of Starlink Group 12-19 smallsats including 13 Direct to Cell
SpaceX is targeting Sunday, June 1 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for Sunday 10:01 PDT/ Monday 1:01 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities until 1:03 a.m. ET. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Tuesday, June 3 starting at 12:29 a.m. ET.
According to weather officials, there’s a 75% chance of favorable weather conditions at the time of the launch. Officials are monitoring weather conditions with concerns related to Cumulus Cloud Rule, Surface Electric Fields Rule. The forecast calls for a temperature of 77°F, light rain, 2% cloud cover, a wind speed of 9mph and 0.36in of rain.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This is the 21st flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and 13 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.