SpaceX scraps plan that could've launched two rockets in an hour, pushing liftoff to Saturday

Jamie Groh, Florida Today
·2 min read
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX is now set for launches Friday and Saturday, reversing course on a same-day launch plan that could have made history for the tightest turnaround between two launches.

SpaceX announced it is prioritizing the Falcon 9 launch of the O3b mPOWER mission on Friday, and is targeting a Saturday launch of the company's own Starlink satellites. Both launches were initially set for Friday, potentially less than 35 minutes apart, and could've set a record for the quickest turnaround between orbital launches from Florida's Space Coast, which has stood since November 11, 1966.

The Friday launch from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will loft a pair of internet communications satellites for its customer SES, a Luxembourg-based satellite operator. An 87-minute liftoff window was set to open at 4:21 p.m. ET.

Then, on Saturday, at nearby Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center a second Falcon 9 will send another batch of SpaceX's own internet-beaming Starlink satellites to orbit.

Both missions were expected to feature first-stage Falcon 9 booster landings on separate drone ships stationed in the Atlantic Ocean a short time after liftoff.

SpaceX did not respond to inquiries from Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network, for this story.

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The SES O3b mPower 1 and 2 satellites for Luxembourg satellite operator SES are seen during payload integration into the protective SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing before being mated with the Falcon 9 booster.
The SES O3b mPower 1 and 2 satellites for Luxembourg satellite operator SES are seen during payload integration into the protective SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing before being mated with the Falcon 9 booster.

The company's quickest turnaround between launches stands at about 15 hours. That record goes back to December 2021.

SpaceX flew a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 18 that year taking a stack of Starlink satellites to orbit. Then 15 hours later, from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station a second Falcon 9 lofted the Turksat 5B mission for Turkey.

Jamie Groh is a space reporter for Florida Today. You can contact her at JGroh@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX double launch update: Florida launches set for Friday, Saturday