Live updates: SpaceX set for second Starlink launch attempt from Cape Canaveral
Update: Liftoff of SpaceX's latest batch of Starlink internet satellites at 8:50 p.m. EDT Sunday! This sets the stage for the next mission, currently slated to fly no earlier than late Wednesday night. See more at our full launch schedule here.
Follow live updates below as SpaceX targets 8:50 p.m. EDT Sunday, July 23, for the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
If the countdown at Launch Complex 40 goes according to plan, Falcon 9 will fly along a southeastern trajectory and then target a landing on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. This will mark the booster's sixth mission so far.
Tonight's window to launch closes at 10:31 p.m. EDT. It's likely teams will need more time since weather conditions around the Cape are iffy.
Follow live updates below:
Liftoff!
8:50 p.m. EDT: Liftoff of SpaceX's latest batch of 22 Starlink internet satellites!
Here's the post-launch timeline:
T-plus 00:01:12: Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:27: 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30: 1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:36: 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:03:07: Fairing deployment
00:06:08: 1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:29: 1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:55: 1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:22: 1st stage landing
00:08:35: 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:01: 2nd stage engine Starts (SES-2)
00:54:03: 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:05:19: Starlink satellites deploy
T-minus 15 minutes
8:35 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is still counting down to an on-time liftoff at 8:50 p.m. EDT. So far, all appears to be well.
SpaceX 'go' to start fueling
8:12 p.m. EDT: SpaceX mission managers have polled "go" to start the fueling process at Launch Complex 40. Once that process gets started at 8:15 p.m., Falcon 9 will be locked in to a launch time of 8:50 p.m. EDT.
Here's what's left in the timeline:
00:35:00: RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:00: 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:00: 2nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00: Command flight computer to begin final pre-launch checks
00:01:00: Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45: SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
00:00:03: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00: Falcon 9 liftoff
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New Starlink launch time
6:10 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is now targeting 8:50 p.m. EDT for this launch, known as Starlink 6-6, from Cape Canaveral. Reminder that tonight's window closes at 10:31 p.m. EDT.
Rocket launch schedule: Upcoming Florida launches and landings
SpaceX counting down to second launch attempt
5:20 p.m. EDT: Good evening! SpaceX is gearing up for a second attempt at launching a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after the first was scrubbed last night due to inclement weather. Conditions aren't much better this evening, but should improve before the end of the window at 10:31 p.m. EDT. SpaceX might be able to wait for weather to clear this time. Stay tuned.
Here's the pre-launch timeline:
T-minus 00:38:00: SpaceX launch director verifies "go" for propellant load
00:35:00: RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:00: 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:00: 2nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00: Command flight computer to begin final pre-launch checks
00:01:00: Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45: SpaceX launch director verifies go for launch
00:00:03: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00: Falcon 9 liftoff
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Live updates: SpaceX set for second launch attempt from Cape Canaveral
