BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — SpaceX is once again gearing up to launch another batch of Starlink communications satellites into orbit from the Space Coast.
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They’re aiming for the afternoon of Friday, August 19 to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 53 more satellites into low-earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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The launch window opens at 3:21 p.m. Friday. It’s an instantaneous window, meaning the launch must go off at that time or it will be scrubbed.
SpaceX teams are keeping a close eye on the weather, which is 50 percent favorable for launch as of their most recent update.
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A backup window is available Saturday at 2:59 p.m.
Just over eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9′s first stage booster will return to Earth, landing on the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” Drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
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The same booster has been used previously for three other Starlink missions, two GPS Space Vehicle missions, and the Inspiration-4 all-civilian mission to orbit.
A live broadcast of the launch will be available online starting approximately five minutes before liftoff.
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