SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Maxar satellites Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral
On Thursday morning, SpaceX will launch a different kind of payload. Not a Starlink, but two imaging satellites, will be launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket for Maxar, a space technology and manufacturing company.
While SpaceX has yet to confirm this mission, a navigational warning shows a launch window running from 9 a.m. to 12:28 p.m. EDT. While SpaceX tends to aim for the earlier part of the window, factors such as weather at the launch site and booster landing location plays a role.
When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule from Florida
The Maxar satellites are the next two in the company's WorldView Legion series ? the first two satellites were launched from Vandenberg, California, on May 2, 2024. In total, the WorldView Legion series will consist of six satellites. The final two are expected to launch by the end of the year.
Check out this incredible 30 cm-class satellite image collected by WorldView Legion of the New Haraj Market in Saudi Arabia, which features an intricate architectural design that is best seen from above: https://t.co/bp0WtLA3y2 #satelliteimagery #viewfromspace #ittakesalegion pic.twitter.com/CTvEZGpnOG
— Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) August 9, 2024
Maxar satellites will launch atop SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida
Amazing detail right down to architectural designs ? that's what these satellites are capable of. Recently, Maxar posted to X (formerly Twitter), images taken with the first two WorldView Legion satellites. The images showcased design details on buildings in New Haraj Market in Saudi Arabia as if they were taken not too far above ? yet they were taken from orbit.
These satellites can provide high quality imagery every 20-30 minutes, showcasing events such as natural disasters or human-triggered situations. "This will be a game-changer when time is critical during 24/7 national security missions, humanitarian crises and natural disasters," a statement on Maxar's website reads.
In a July press release, Dan Smoot, CEO of Maxar Intelligence, said the satellites will "generate more actionable insights in 2D and 3D."
These will be the first Maxar satellites to orbit in a mid-inclination ? as other orbit the poles.
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Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral will deliver Maxar satellites
