Specific date, time and weather information
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX is taking back-to-back launches to a new level this week. If all goes as planned, the company is poised to shatter one of the space coast’s longest rocket launch records on Friday, December 16th.
Between 4 and 5 p.m., the 55th and 56th launches of the year are scheduled to take off, less than 35 minutes apart. The missions will take place from two launch pads in Florida – Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Pad-39A at Kennedy Space Center.
Friday could rewrite the record for the fastest turnaround among orbital launches from the Space Coast that has stood since November 11, 1966. On that day, James Lovell and Buzz Aldrin aboard the Gemini 12 mission launched just 90 minutes after the Agena launched the target vehicle they would meet. later in orbit for rendezvous and docking practice.
SpaceX did not respond to inquiries from Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network, regarding this story.
While the company is notoriously tight-lipped about its launch practices, Sarah Walker, SpaceX’s director of Dragon mission management, told reporters last month, “We can use different control rooms, different personnel, and work together with our different customers at a minimum spacing between launches.”
“We can support launches on the same day, from the two different platforms,” Walker said.
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The company’s fastest turnaround between launches is about 15 hours. This record dates back to December 2021.
SpaceX flew a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on December 18 of that year, ferrying a batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. Then 15 hours later, from Pad 40 at Space Force Station Cape Canaveral, a second Falcon 9 lifted the Turksat 5B mission for Turkey.
History of dual launches
While Friday’s accomplishment would be remarkable, the daily double launches from the Space Coast are completely unheard of. The last time it happened was only four months ago.
Thirteen hours later, United Launch Alliance and SpaceX hosted launches from Space Force Station Cape Canaveral on August 4.
It was a tough day for the US Air Force, John Tribe, a retired Apollo program engineer, told Florida Today.
But with “the advent of the autonomous flight termination system, the range can now support shorter flight times and the Friday schedule reflects this,” he said.
This is a change first implemented on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 CRS-10 resupply mission to NASA’s International Space Station in February 2017.
A self-contained launch vehicle-mounted system designed to deliberately destroy a missile in an emergency, the Autonomous Flight Safety System provides the ability to not only reduce reliance on aging range infrastructure, but enhance the ability to support more launches by accelerating range turnaround times with safety standards tougher and fewer people at the console while reducing overall launch costs,” a 2017 USAF statement explained.
What is being released on Friday? What are the launch times?
In the launch Friday, a Falcon 9 from Pad 40 at Space Force Station Cape Canaveral will lift a pair of Internet communications satellites for customers of SES, a Luxembourg-based satellite operator. Takeoff is set between 4:21pm and 5:49pm
Then, between 4:54 and 5:13 p.m., at nearby Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center, Falcon 9 will send another batch of internet-broadcast Starlink satellites into orbit.
Both missions are expected to include Falcon 9 first-stage booster landings on separate, unmanned ships stationed in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after liftoff.
“The decreasing time between missions is impressive but not as impressive to me as SpaceX’s continued successes in landing and reusing their first stages (Falcon 9),” said Tripp, “that was unthinkable for us back in the days and it still blows my mind.” “
The weather forecast is promising
As for potentially record-breaking weather Friday, meteorologists with the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron said in a report Tuesday that launch conditions for both missions are expected to be 90 percent “go.” A cold front should pass this week and there will still be little chance of clouds forming until Friday’s launch attempts.
“After the front pushes in, drier, cooler air will begin to flow into the area on Friday afternoon,” Space Force meteorologists said Tuesday. “The only concern with Friday’s attempt is the small risk of violating the rule for thick cloud layers from any remaining intermediate-level cloud cover.”
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If it is needed, the chances of it launching back up around the same time on Saturday will see the weather slightly deteriorate to 70% “go”.
“By Saturday, although the front will remain to our south, a medium-level disturbance will bring some additional moisture from the Gulf and increase cloud cover in the area,” the meteorologists said.
Jamie Groh is a satellite correspondent for Florida Today. You can contact her at JGroh@floridatoday.com. follow her Twitter @AlteredJamie.
The first launch date is set for Friday
- Company/Agency: SpaceX for SES.
- Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9.
- Site: Pad40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- launch time: 4:21-5:49 p.m
- a path: the Northeast.
- weather: 90% “go”.
- Landing: unmanned ship.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before take-off at floridatoday.com/space.
- Around: The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch two O3b mPower satellites 1 and 2 for Luxembourg satellite operator SES. Satellites are primarily designed to provide internet connectivity.
The second launch is scheduled for Friday
- Company/Agency: SpaceX Starlink internal mission.
- Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9.
- Site: Pad39-A at Kennedy Space Center.
- launch time: 4:54-5:13 p.m
- a path: the Northeast.
- weather: 90% “go”.
- Landing: unmanned ship.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before take-off at floridatoday.com/space
- Around: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a group of Internet-broadcast Starlink satellites into orbit.
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