Rocket launches during July 2024 by SpaceX and ULA from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Florida's Space Coast only hosted five orbital rocket launches during July, as the Federal Aviation Administration's grounding of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket fleet wiped more than two weeks off the Eastern Range calendar.
What happened? A Falcon 9 upper-stage engine developed a liquid oxygen leak and malfunctioned following a July 11 launch from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California — and 20 Starlink satellites wound up descending and burning up in Earth's atmosphere.
Here's an overview of Florida's five launches during July from NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. All times are Eastern Daylight Time.
Cape Canaveral: Rocket launches in Florida: Here's an updating list of all 2024 Space Coast missions
1. SpaceX Starlink 8-9
A SpaceX Falcon 9 boosted 20 Starlink satellites into obit, before putting on an early morning light show. The Falcon 9 rocket took to the pre-dawn sky at 4:55 p.m. July 3 from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40.
Starlink 8-9: Firework or sunrise? SpaceX launch lights up morning sky over Cape Canaveral, Florida
2. SpaceX Türksat 6A
After five delays amid stormy summertime weather, SpaceX launched the Türksat 6A communications satellite atop a Falcon 9 at 7:30 p.m. July 8 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Türksat 6A: SpaceX logs the Space Coast's 50th launch of 2024 with Türksat 6A satellite mission Monday
3. SpaceX Starlink 10-9
After a two-week FAA grounding, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket fleet return to flight amid an ongoing investigation when a 1:45 a.m. July 27 Starlink mission launched from pad 39A at KSC.
Starlink 10-9: SpaceX Falcon 9 returns to flight with night launch; SpaceX eyes next liftoff early Sunday
4. SpaceX Starlink 10-4
After delaying the liftoff time twice, SpaceX launched for the second night in a row at 1:09 a.m. July 28.
Starlink 10-4: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lights up Cape Canaveral sky for second night in a row
5. ULA USSF-51
United Launch Alliance launched a top secret mission for the Space Force on an Atlas V rocket at 6:45 a.m. July 30. This marked the final national security launch on an Atlas V.
USSF-51: ULA Atlas V rocket lifts off on national security mission from Cape Canaveral
For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at [email protected]. For more space news, visit floridatoday.com/space.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rocket launch list: July 2024 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida
