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DOUBLE LAUNCH: SpaceX to send up two Falcon 9 rockets during same launch window

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — Hang on to your seats, because this will be a rare treat and a first: SpaceX is attempting to launch two Falcon 9 rockets at the same time on Friday night.

What a way to kick off the weekend.

What You Need To Know

  • If all goes well, SpaceX will also launch the Starlink 6-85 mission at the same time
  • A total of 58 Starlink satellites could be launched between the two missions

One is the Starlink 6-89 mission, which will leave Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX stated.

The launch window will open at 10:01 p.m. ET until 2:01 a.m. ET, Saturday.

So, it means the California-based company 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 6-85 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.

So, space lovers better cross their fingers for this one.

Going up

This will be the eighth mission for this Falcon 9’s first-stage booster called B1092.

Its previous missions include the following:

  1. Starlink 12-13 mission
  2. NROL-69 mission
  3. Bandwagon-3 mission
  4. GPS III-7 mission
  5. Starlink 10-34 mission
  6. USSF-36 mission
  7. Starlink 10-61 mission

After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket will land on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas that will be in the Atlantic Ocean.

About the mission

The SpaceX-owned Starlink company will see 29 of its satellites go to low-Earth orbit to join the thousands already there.

They will provide internet service to many parts of Earth, once they are deployed and in their orbit.

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’s Dr. Jonathan McDowell has been documenting 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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