SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, June 7. Liftoff was at 9:50 PDT despite rumors yesterday of possible inclimate weather shown below.
The Friday night flight marks the 344th Falcon 9 to launch, a little more than 14 years after its launch debut on June 4, 2010.
The weather might be a bit uncertain for Friday night’s launch of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
A weak cold front is pushing into the panhandle today, increasing moisture and bringing greater
instability across the peninsula. Steering level flow and upper-level winds will become more westerly, allowing showers and storms that develop with heating and seabreeze interaction to migrate back toward the coast by the late afternoon hours. The latest forecast models have increased coverage of showers and storms over the central to southern portions of the state for Friday, so showers and storms could linger well into the launch window. On Saturday, the front is expected to wash out as high pressure begins to build back in. This will result in slightly drier conditions, so any afternoon shower activity should diminish quickly after sunset. A stray shower over the coastal areas can’t be ruled out,
so the primary concern for the backup day is the Cumulus Cloud Rule. Launch Day Probability of
This is the 16th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 11 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX Starlink launch Friday
SpaceX is targeting Friday, June 7 for a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 8:00 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 10:10 p.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Saturday, June 8 starting at 7:47 p.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about five minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.
This is the 16th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 11 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.