SpaceX plans to launch two Falcon 9 rockets hours apart from Florida and California. Starlink group 6-3 will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with a scheduled launch time of 12:41 a.m. ET (04:41 UTC) and from Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Iridium OneWeb rideshare launch at 6:19 a.m. PT (13:19 UTC).
First, SpaceX will launch booster 1076 on its 5th flight to deliver 22 Starlink V2 mini-satellites to an orbital inclination of 43 degrees. The 22 Starlink V2 mini-satellites have a total of ~17.6 metric tons, potentially setting a record for the largest mass to low-Earth orbit for the Falcon 9. This indicates a gradual increase in Falcon 9’s confidence in delivering high-mass payloads in orbit while maintaining the ability to recover the first stage. On station for this recovery is the unmanned craft A Shortfall of Gravitas, located approximately 400 miles down, just east of the Bahamas.
The current weather forecast for this launch has a 60% chance of violating the launch criteria when the launch window opens. However, this launch has three more possibilities, 1:13 AM ET (05:31 UTC), 2:19 AM ET (06:19 UTC), and 3:09 AM ET (07:09 UTC), where the timing is improved by 40% chance of breaking launch criteria.
Targeting Friday, May 19 for Falcon 9’s launch of 22 second-generation @Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 in Florida → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK pic.twitter.com/dauhzxh0z5
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2023
Rounding out Friday’s launches is the Iridium OneWeb ride-sharing launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. This will include the launch of 5 Iridium satellites and 16 OneWeb satellites. The five Iridium satellites launched as part of this mission are essentially back-up satellites, but will help bolster their in-orbit capabilities in case another satellite has technical problems. After being put into their initial orbits and passed tests, the satellites will be carried to their final orbits. The 16 OneWeb satellites will include 15 Gen-1 satellites and 1 prototype Gen-2 satellite called “JoeySat” designed to test high-speed Internet. This Gen-2 satellite is a partnership between OneWeb and the European Space Agency. The technology being tested on this satellite will enable OneWeb to quickly adapt to growing demand and also quickly deploy 5G mini-hubs in the event of natural disasters to aid recovery efforts.
The Falcon 9 that launched this shared journey is booster 1063 on its 11th mission. After the stage split, the booster will land the “Of course I still love you” drone ship. If for some reason the launch doesn’t happen on time, SpaceX has a backup option on Saturday, May 20 at 6:15 AM ET (1:15 PM UTC). Watch the Starlink and Iridium OneWeb launches below!
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