SpaceX launches Starlink satellite with Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX has been preparing to launch its third batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit since Monday morning. If the company is able to launch within its Thursday window, it will mark the fastest turnaround time for Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at 2 days, 17 hours and 43 minutes.

Launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 7:53 p.m. EDT (2353 UTC). If SpaceX cannot launch at that time, they will likely have a 24-hour backup option on Friday.

Spaceflight Now’s live broadcast begins about an hour before launch.

Shortly before takeoff, the 45th Weather Squadron predicted a 50 percent chance of favorable weather at takeoff. Meteorologists are raising concerns about launch winds, which they forecast will be between 18 and 25 miles per hour at launch time.

“Drier, cooler air is beginning to flow toward the peninsula as high pressure builds to the southeast,” the launch weather officers wrote. “There will be gusty winds [on Wednesday] through the end of the week as the gradient on land increases due to increasing high pressure.

“Wind speeds in the latest model forecasts trended slightly downward for launch day, but it is likely that they are still flirting with launch thresholds, particularly early in the window. Little changes for the backup day, the wind only increases slightly as it becomes more easterly, resulting in higher wind speeds [probability of violation] for Liftoff Winds.”

The 24-hour backup scenario shows only a 40 percent chance of launch-worthy conditions, but also adds the presence of cumulus clouds.

Just over eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster will target a landing on the SpaceX Just Read the Instructions drone ship. If all goes well, this will be the 94th successful booster landing with JRTI and the 355th booster landing to date.

The launch of the Starlink satellites will also bring the total number of orbital launches from Florida this year to 71, which is less than the total number of satellites launched in 2023.