SpaceX sent more Starlink satellites to orbit Friday night after a four hour launch delay
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/vL77mdJ91d
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 30, 2023
SpaceX teams had a long night Friday after the liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying another batch of Starlink internet satellites was delayed to nearly the end of a four-hour launch window at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
While no reason for the delay was immediately provided by SpaceX, weather conditions around the spaceport, which included lightning-producing thunderstorms nearby, were less than ideal.
Did SpaceX launch Friday?
The 230-foot rocket vaulted away from Launch Complex 40 at 10:00 p.m. EDT along a southeasterly trajectory that hugged Florida's coastline. The 130-foot first stage booster completed its 10th trip to the edge of space and back with a drone ship landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
The rocket's upper stage continued on to loft 22 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. Since beginning dedicated operations to build out the nearly globally spanning constellation, SpaceX has launched about 5,200 of the flat pack satellites and has expanded its service offering to every continent.
Friday's Starlink 6-19 mission was the 52nd orbital launch from Florida's Space Coast this year, closing in on the reigning record of 57 put up in 2022.
Artemis II: Solid rocket boosters for NASA's Space Launch System rocket delivered to KSC
Rocket launch schedule: Upcoming Florida launches and landings
When are the next launches from Florida?
The mission slated to fly from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will do so on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The mission, dubbed Amazon Project Kuiper Protoflight, will loft the KuiperSat-1 and 2 prototype satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband system — a planned constellation of over 3,000 satellites to deliver global internet service connectivity.
The launch window for a liftoff from Launch Complex 41 on Friday, Oct. 6, opens at 2 p.m. EDT.
Meanwhile, SpaceX teams at Kennedy Space Center are preparing for the liftoff of a Falcon Heavy rocket. The payload of that mission is NASA's Psyche spacecraft, which will study a metal-rich asteroid between Mars and Jupiter.
On Thursday, NASA and SpaceX adjusted the targeted launch window of the Psyche mission from October 5 to October 12 to allow teams more time for spacecraft checkouts.
The Psyche mission marks the first time the triple-core rocket has been selected to host a dedicated payload for NASA. Previous Falcon Heavy missions have supported commercial satellites and national security missions for the U.S. Space Force.
Liftoff of the interplanetary mission is tentatively slated for no earlier than 10:16 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 12, from pad 39A though how that mission's status or launch could be further impacted if a partial government shutdown occurs this weekend remains to be determined. NASA declined to offer any details when asked.
For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jamie Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her on X at @AlteredJamie.
Launch Friday, Oct. 6
Company / Agency: United Launch Alliance
Rocket: ULA Atlas V
Location: Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: Opens at 2 p.m. EDT
Trajectory: East
Weather: TBD
Landing: None; Atlas V is expendable
Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space
About: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch KuiperSat-1 and 2, the first pair of prototype satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband system — a planned constellation of over 3,000 satellites that will deliver global internet service connectivity. The satellites will serve as a testbed to inform future design, deployment and operational plans ahead of a full-scale deployment beginning in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Friday after four hour delay
