SpaceX Starlink mission launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida after multiple delays
After multiple delays, a SpaceX Falcon 9 sprung off the launch pad and into the bright Florida morning sky Tuesday with the rocket's second stage carrying 23 Starlink satellites into orbit.
As countdown had moved towards what was planned to be a 7:30 a.m. EDT launch on Tuesday, SpaceX announced a launch hold. While SpaceX did not provide a reason, a statement was given on X (formerly Twitter) that the rocket and Starlink satellites were in good condition. The launch hold lasted more than two hours before the countdown resumed towards launch at10:24 a.m. EDT.
This delay came after what had been a scrub the previous day.
Originally, the launch was planned to be on Memorial Day morning ? slated to launch Monday at 7:30 a.m. EDT? but was pushed back to the end of the launch window at 11:30 a.m. EDT before finally being scrubbed for the day. SpaceX did not give a reason for standing down until Tuesday.
When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida
Following Tuesday's successful launch, the Falcon 9 rocket landed on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean just under eight and a half minutes after liftoff.
Upon landing, the particular Falcon 9 marked its tenth flight ? it's most memorable mission being NASA's Crew 6 in early 2023.
According to SpaceX, this also marked mission 350 in the company's history.
Up next for Cape Canaveral?Another SpaceX Starlink and Boeing's Starliner
According to a Geospatial Navigational Warning, SpaceX is targeting between 6:43 p.m. to 11:14 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 31 to launch the next batch of Starlink satellites. This four and a half hour window indicates a Starlink launch. However, SpaceX has yet to confirm this mission or the location of this launch from Florida.
Then on Saturday, June 1, NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance plan to attempt the launch of Starliner's Crewed Flight Test at 12:25 p.m. EDT. This comes after a nearly one-month delay that followed the scrub on May 6, which was due to an issue with an oxygen valve on the Atlas V rocket's second stage.
During the repairs, Boeing crews discovered a helium leak coming from a thruster in the Starliner service module — which is an expendable bottom to the spacecraft containing thrusters. Crews ensured the helium leak was stable, yet further detected an issue with the redundancy of the system during the deorbit burn phase of the mission ? meaning if something fails, crews wanted to ensure that Starliner still would be able to return home safely.
"We have now a solution," said vice president and program manager of the Boeing Commercial Crew Program, Mark Nappi, on the subject of the redundancy issue during a May 24 press briefing. "It's backed by test data. It's backed by flight data, and the guidance and navigation modeling have reinforced that this technique will work. Of course we've had independent verification on it. The crew has tested it, and we feel very comfortable with the situation that we have."
NASA will hold a readiness review for Starliner on Wednesday. If teams are ready to proceed towards launch, astronauts Butch Willmore and Suni Williams will launch on June 1 to the International Space Station, taking Starliner on its first crewed flight.
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 launches Starlink Tuesday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida
