SpaceX is targeting Sunday, August 4 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 12:24 a.m. PT, with backup opportunities available until 3:52 a.m. PT. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Monday, August 5 starting at 12:24 a.m. ET.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

This is the sixth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched USSF-6

2 and four Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

On Friday, August 2 at 1:01 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This was the 12th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and eight Starlink missions.

SpaceX ready for Friday Starlink satellite launch

Photo was captured from California on foggy Sunday, July 28, by Satnews from SpaceX’s video stream.

SpaceX is targeting Friday, August 2 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 1:01 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:19 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Saturday, August 3 starting at 12:19 a.m. ET.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

This is the 12th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and eight 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.

The 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base forecast 95 percent favorable conditions at liftoff. The only potential concern is a violation of the cumulus cloud rule. If SpaceX needs to pivot to its 24-hour launch delay, the weather outlook decreases to 80 percent favorable conditions.

In May of 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an 85% likelihood of above-normal activity for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. This marked the fifth consecutive year with an above-normal prediction and, if proven accurate, would make 2024 the eighth year in the last decade to record above-normal activity. With the apparent increase in the destructive power of these storms, timely and detailed tropical cyclone data may be more important than ever.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL) is leading the NASA Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats’ (TROPICS) mission.

This mission will provide NASA, NOAA, and other government agencies and commercial partners with rapid refresh microwave sounding observations, delivering improved resolution, configurable coverage, flexibility, reliability, and extremely low-cost launch access compared to other space-based storm-sensing technology.

The data TROPICS provides is vital to weather forecasters, so when Lincoln Laboratory contacted ATLAS Space Operations in June to establish support at its Dubai ground station, the ATLAS team responded with urgency.

Within four weeks of receiving MIT LL’s purchase order, ATLAS had completed spacecraft integration and TROPICS was declared operational on ATLAS’ Global Federated Network—a process that typically takes ground segment providers several months or more to perform.

A streamlined, best-in-class customer onboarding experience is among the stated benefits of ATLAS Ground Software as a Service model. Even so, the ATLAS team was quick to credit the TROPICS spacecraft operations team for their collaboration in making the expedited integration possible.

“There are few missions in space with such immediate and concrete benefits as severe weather monitoring,” said ATLAS CEO John Williams. “Simply put, data from Lincoln Laboratory’s TROPICS mission saves lives. ATLAS is honored to quickly, securely, and reliably deliver that data to their team.”

ATLAS Space Operations is a leading provider of Ground Software as a Service in the space communications industry. ATLAS’ revolutionary Freedom® software has been recognized by industry-leading publications and organizations such as Via Satellite and the World Teleport Association. Additionally, ATLAS was highlighted in the CIO Review: Telecom Edition as Company of the Year (2023) as well as one of the 10 Most Promising Technologies. Lastly, Aerospace & Defense Review acknowledged ATLAS as one of the Top Satellite Solutions Providers. ATLAS combines the Freedom Software Platform and its global antenna network to achieve its mission of securing space access anytime, anywhere. To learn more, visit atlasspace.com.

SpaceX is targeting Friday, August 2 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 1:01 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:19 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Saturday, August 3 starting at 12:19 a.m. ET.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

This is the 12th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and eight 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.

The 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base forecast 95 percent favorable conditions at liftoff. The only potential concern is a violation of the cumulus cloud rule. If SpaceX needs to pivot to its 24-hour launch delay, the weather outlook decreases to 80 percent favorable conditions.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for 74 high-speed data transport satellites for the Space Development Agency (SDA), including satellites that integrate advanced technology from an earlier generation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), providing increased capabilities to U.S. Forces.

The 74 satellites include the Tranche 2 Beta and Tranche 2 Alpha configurations. Tranche 2 Beta satellites incorporate new communications technologies into the PWSA, including S-band, Ultra High Frequency SATCOM and Integrated Broadcast Service, while the Tranche 2 Alpha satellites are a continuation of Northrop Grumman’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites awarded in 2022.

PWSA includes two major lines of effort:
The Tracking Layer: Designed to detect, track and ultimately target hypersonic and ballistic missiles
The Transport Layer: Provides global data and voice connectivity to U.S forces defending the homeland and operating around the world.

To date, SDA has awarded Northrop Grumman more than 130 satellites. Northrop Grumman successfully completed a Critical Design Review (CDR) for its first generation Transport and Tracking Layer satellites last year and is now integrating space vehicles both in California, and at the Airbus factory in Florida.

Blake Bullock, vice president, military space systems, Northrop Grumman, said, “Space Development Agency’s vision is to field critical capabilities at an extremely rapid pace, and Northrop Grumman continues to demonstrate that we are up to the challenge. As we move into detailed design for our Tranche 2 satellites, we’re executing and on-track with our Tranche 1 offerings and evaluating future opportunities with SDA programs. We are delivering on our commitments and are focused on helping SDA make the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture a success.”