SpaceX to launch 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 29 Starlink satellites from cape canaveral Space Force Station on Friday morning, with liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 set for 8:03 a.m. EDT. The Starlink 10-53 mission will add another batch to a network that already has more than 10,000 spacecraft.
The Falcon 9 will fly on a north-easterly trajectory after leaving the pad. Spaceflight Now will begin live coverage about an hour before liftoff, and the launch window carries an 80 percent chance for favorable weather, according to the 45th Weather Squadron.
Cape Canaveral launch window
Meteorologists are watching cumulus and anvil clouds, along with a shift in the weather pattern over the Spaceport. The subtropical ridge axis will move south of the Spaceport by Friday, bringing tropical moisture, while westerly-to-southwesterly low-level winds are expected to support afternoon showers and thunderstorms along the east coast of Florida for several days.
Isolated showers and thunderstorms could develop toward the end of the primary and backup launch windows. SpaceX is preparing for its penultimate planned launch of May, and this mission is part of the company’s continuing Starlink deployment effort.
B1085 on its 16th flight
The first stage booster for the mission is B1085, which will make its 16th flight. It has previously flown NASA’s Crew-9, Fram2 and Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1.
Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1085 will target a landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. If successful, that would be the 152nd touchdown on the vessel and the 616th booster landing for SpaceX to date.
Florida launches this week
This launch comes during a busy stretch for SpaceX. For the third time in three weeks, the company is preparing to launch a batch of Starlink satellites from Florida’s Space Coast, while another Falcon 9 is set to launch from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday afternoon, weather permitting.
SpaceX also called off a Texas launch attempt on Monday for the Super Heavy booster and Starship launch vehicle after a bad valve on the first stage. The next Starship attempt is scheduled for Thursday, depending on weather and a fix for the valve problem.
