SpaceX will try again to launch 13th batch of Starlink satellites - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX will try again to launch the 13th batch of Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center on Thursday morning with better weather in the forecast.

The private company is targeting 9:17 a.m. to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at KSC. Weather officers with the 45th Weather Squadron are giving the window a 70% chance of favorable liftoff conditions. Thick cloud cover is the primary weather concern.

[Watch the launch live at the top of this story.]

The rocket booster for this mission has previously launched twice, including this summer when SpaceX launched Dragon Endeavour with astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, marking the first human spaceflight from Florida since 2011.

The booster will likely make a fourth or fifth flight after Thursday’s launch. The first stage will land on a droneship called Of Course I Still Love You in the Atlantic Ocean about 8 minutes after liftoff.

Half of the rocket’s nosecone is also recycled hardware. One of Falcon 9′s fairing halves was used during two previous Starlink launches, according to SpaceX.

This launch will send the Starlink satellite constellation near 800 spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Eventually, the company plans to have a fleet comprised of more than 40,000 satellites providing internet to even remote areas of the world.

Starlink is undergoing beta testing before it will be available to the public, according to SpaceX. Some of the first to benefit from the internet service has been first responders in areas impacted by wildfires in Washington state. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet the company is “prioritizing emergency responders and locations with no Internet connectivity at all” for its first customers.

“Happy to have the support of SpaceX’s Starlink internet as emergency responders look to help residents rebuild the town of Malden, WA that was overcome by wildfires earlier this month,” Washington Emergency Management said in a tweet.

SpaceX’s launch Thursday comes the morning after a fifth attempt by United Launch Alliance to launch a national security payload on its Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral. The attempt late Wednesday was scrubbed about 7 seconds before liftoff. A new launch date has not been announced as teams are reviewing data from the automatic abort.

On Friday, SpaceX also plans to launch a satellite for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. A Falcon 9 rocket will blast off carrying the GPS III satellite from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 40.

The 15-minute launch window opens at 9:43 p.m. Friday. Weather is 70% “Go," per the 45th Space Wing.

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SpaceX will try again to launch 13th batch of Starlink satellites - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
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