SpaceX to launch 21 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX Prepares for Latest Starlink Launch

SpaceX is gearing up for another significant milestone in its mission to provide global internet connectivity. The company is scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the latest batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites, on Saturday afternoon. Dubbed Starlink 12-9, this mission marks the 10th dedicated Starlink deployment of the year and the 11th with Starlink satellites on board.

The launch is slated to take place at 1:23 p.m. EST (1823 UTC) from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket will follow a southeasterly trajectory as it ascends away from the Cape. Spaceflight Now will offer live coverage beginning approximately an hour before liftoff.

Forecasters from the 45th Weather Squadron, based at Patrick Space Force Base, are optimistic about the launch conditions. They predict a greater than 95 percent chance of favorable weather. The main concerns include light winds around 12 mph or less and the presence of cumulus clouds. Weather officials noted that surface high pressure across the northern Atlantic and an associated ridge axis sprawled across Florida will result in patchy late-night and morning fog and low clouds. However, otherwise, fair weather is anticipated for both the primary and backup launch opportunities.

Among the 21 Starlink satellites onboard, 13 have Direct to Cell capabilities.spaceX has launched 466 of these DTC satellites and has begun beta testing in the United States.

For this mission, SpaceX will employ the Falcon 9 first stage booster tail number 1078. This will be its 17th launch, with previous missions including USSF-124, Crew-6, and 12 previous batches of Starlink satellites. Approximately eight minutes after liftoff, the booster will aim for a landing on the SpaceX droneship, “A Shortfall of Gravitas.” A successful landing will mark the 97th for ASOG and the 406th for SpaceX.

The company will also use the recovery vessel, named “Doug,” to retrieve the payload fairing halves once they splash down in the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel is named after former NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, one-half of the pair who flew the Demo-2 mission—the first to send crew to and from the International Space Station for SpaceX.

SpaceX has several missions on its horizon, including the Crew-10 launch and a private astronaut mission to the ISS in partnership with Axiom Space. Additionally, the company has been instrumental in training a commercial astronaut mission that will use a Dragon spacecraft for a flight over the poles, lasting approximately three days without docking with the space station.

Stay tuned for live updates and more information as SpaceX continues to pioneer the future of space exploration and innovation.