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CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — This might be an extremely rare treat for space lovers: SpaceX plans to send up two Falcon 9 rockets at the same launch time on Friday night.
What You Need To Know
- If all goes well, SpaceX will also launch the Starlink 6-89 mission at the same time
- A total of 58 Starlink satellites could be launched between the two missions
One is the Starlink 6-85 mission, which will leave from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated SpaceX.
The launch window will open at 10:01 p.m. ET until 2:01 a.m. ET, Saturday.
That means SpaceX needs to launch its Falcon 9 rocket during that time frame.
The 45th Weather Squadron has given about a 95% chance of good liftoff conditions, with no forecast concerns.
Find out more about the weather criteria for a Falcon 9 launch.
If all goes well, SpaceX will also launch the Starlink 6-89 mission at the same time, with the same number of satellites: 29.
However, it would not be uncommon for one of these missions to be pushed back to later in the launch window or a different day entirely.
Going up
This will be the 24th mission for the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster B1078. It has had 23 missions under its wide belt, including a crewed one:
- Crew-6
- SES O3b mPOWER
- USSF-124 mission
- Bluebird
- Starlink 6-4
- Starlink 6-8
- Starlink 6-16
- Starlink 6-31
- Starlink 6-46
- Starlink 6-53
- Starlink 6-60
- Starlink 10-2
- Starlink 10-6
- Starlink 10-13
- Starlink 6-76
- Starlink 12-6
- Starlink 12-9
- Starlink 12-16
- Starlink 6-72
- Starlink 6-84
- Starlink 12-26
- Starlink 10-26
- Nusantara Lima
After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket will land on the droneship Just Read the Instructions that will be in the Atlantic Ocean.
About the mission
The 29 satellites from the Starlink company, owned by SpaceX, will be heading to low-Earth orbit to join the thousands already there.
Once deployed and in their orbit, they will provide internet service to many parts of Earth.
Dr. Jonathan McDowell, of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has been recording Starlink satellites.
Before this launch, McDowell recorded the following:
- 8,942 are in orbit
- 7,716 are in operational orbit
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Anthony Leone
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