SpaceX is preparing to launch a batch of Starlink satellites using a booster that ran into technical problems during the final seconds of its latest launch attempt. The launch is the first of the month for the company, which aims to average 12 Falcon flights per month by 2024.
Launch of the Starlink 8-9 mission from Block 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 2:57 a.m. EDT (0657 UTC). It will add another 20 Starlink satellites to the growing mega-constellation.
Spaceflight Now will have a live stream about an hour before launch.
At the time of the launch attempt, the 45th Weather Squadron predicted an 80 percent chance of fair weather during the roughly four-hour launch window. The only potential concern will be the presence of cumulus clouds in the area near the pad.
If SpaceX can’t launch the Starlink 8-9 mission on Wednesday morning for whatever reason, it appears to be standing until after the US Independence Day holiday. The next available launch opportunity noted by the company is not until Sunday, July 7 at 0:28 AM EDT (0428 UTC).
The first stage booster supporting this mission, B1073 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch after 16. It has previously launched ispace’s HAKUTO-R lunar lander, SpaceX’s 27th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-27) mission, and 10 Starlink missions.
A little more than eight minutes after launch, B1073 lands on SpaceX’s drone, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’. This will be the 76th ASOG landing and the 327th booster landing to date.
While B1073’s last launch was Starlink mission 6-58 on May 13, 2024, its last launch attempt was on June 14 when it attempted to launch Starlink mission 10-2. This was thwarted in three takeoff attempts in as many days, culminating in an abort when the Merlin engines began firing before takeoff.
The following day, Kiko Dontchev, SpaceX’s vice president of launch, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the booster experienced a “real problem” that required them to “go and check the hardware in detail.” He also noted that the problem occurred in the first week without a Falcon launch “in a long time”.
Here are the moments leading up to the ignition of the engine and the final termination of Starlink 10-2 at T-0.
Watches: pic.twitter.com/a8wVmKFr9x
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) June 14, 2024
That quiet stretch lasted from June 8 to June 18, when SpaceX launched the Starlink 9-1 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking SpaceX’s first consecutive launches from Vandenberg without a flight from Florida in between.
Despite the setback, SpaceX still launched 10 Falcon rockets in June, including the Falcon Heavy, which launched the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES-U satellite on June 25.
“We launched only 10 times in June, but in Q2 we recorded 36 successful flights,” Dontchev wrote on X. “All our goals are still very much within reach if we keep safety and reliability first.”
SpaceX entered the year with a goal of 144 or more launches by the end of the year. With June now in the rearview mirror, here’s where Falcon flights currently stand:
- January – 10
- February – 9
- March – 12
- April – 12
- May – 14
- June – 10
If SpaceX were to maintain the same overall pace through the end of the year, it would reach 134 launches with its Falcon rockets (Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy).
We haven’t landed on Mars yet, but this picture makes us feel like we’re getting close
Our 67th and final launch of the month. In June, we took off only 10 times, but in the second quarter there were 36 successful flights. All of our goals are still very much within reach as long as we stay safe… https://t.co/XMZKxWTiZC
— Kiko Dontchev (@TurkeyBeaver) June 29, 2024
Starlink extension
Wednesday morning’s planned launch also continues to boost the ever-expanding Starlink mega-constellation in low Earth orbit. The Starlink 8-9 mission will be the 49th dedicated mission to launch these satellites in 2024 and the 111th launch to date via the Starlink V2 Mini version.
Among the 20 launched satellites are 13 with the Direct to Cell function. This launch will bring the total number of DTC Starlinks to 103. After the last launch with DTC Starlink satellites on board, Sara Spangelo, CEO of SpaceX, expressed her excitement at X for reaching the 90 satellite mark.
“We’re excited about how quickly we’re rolling out and how soon we’ll be able to provide customers with ubiquitous connectivity directly to their phones!” Spangelo wrote.
The company’s Starlink division has also welcomed Madagascar to its internet coverage. Michael Nicolls, Starlink’s vice president of engineering, said this is the 101st market for the satellite Internet provider.
Starlink High Speed Low Latency Internet is now available in Madagascar! 🛰️🇲🇬❤️ → https://t.co/7eyKGH8SZu pic.twitter.com/AEm2Z26s5d
— Starlink (@Starlink) June 27, 2024