Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 carrying twenty-three Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad LC-39A early Saturday morning. The launch window opens at 12:21 AM EDT on July 27 and extends until 04:21 AM the same day. If needed, the company has a backup launch window at the same time, twenty-four hours later, on July 28.
After it completes its portion of the mission, the booster will land offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, which is stationed offshore.
SpaceX official announcement
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, July 27 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 12:21 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:21 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Sunday, July 28 starting at the same time.
The launch will be SpaceX’s 73rd launch of 2024, and its 14th launch from LC-39A this year. Overall, it will 384th SpaceX launch all time. This flight will be the first since the Starlink 9-3 mishap on July 11.
At A Glance
- Mission: Starlink 10-9
- Date: NET July 27, 2024
- Launch Window: 12:21 AM – 04:21 AM EDT*
- Weather: 85% Go during the primary launch window
- Organization: SpaceX
- Rocket: Falcon 9
- Trajectory: Northeastward
- Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
- Booster Landing: Offshore on ASDS Just Read The Instructions
- Payload: Communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
- Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.
Payload
The payload for this mission is a familiar one: twenty-three Starlink satellites. Once deployed and operational, the satellites will join SpaceX’s Starlink constellation that provides Internet connectivity to over three million subscribers in over 100 countries globally.
Each Starlink satellite has a lifespan of approximately five years.
Photo: SpaceX
Weather
Weather is looking good, considering that it is the Dog Days of summer in Florida, which means that inclement weather is a threat anywhere at any time.
As such, the 45th Weather Squadron states, “The western Atlantic ridge axis is north of the Spaceport with deep onshore flow continuing to drive the east coast seabreeze quickly inland each afternoon. Lingering effects from Saharan dust will keep conditions drier than normal, with lower chances for overnight coastal showers. The primary weather concern for an attempt early Saturday morning is the Cumulus Cloud Rule associated with a stray coastal shower.”
They are rating the chances of a weather-related scrub at 15% in the primary launch window, meaning there is an 85% chance of acceptable conditions during the launch window.
Trajectory
The trajectory for the Starlink 10-9 mission is northeastward, or right-to-left if you are on the Space Coast and facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean.
Landing
After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions.’
As such, there will be no sonic boom on the Space Coast.
Online Viewing
SpaceCoastLaunchCalendar.com will have a livestream of the launch if you’re not able to watch the launch in person: Livestream
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 10-9. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.
Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link
For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.
Launch Viewing: In Person
Late-night/early morning launches from LC-39A have somewhat limited viewing options, meaning that Playalinda Beach, the Merritt Island National Seashore, and most restaurants will be closed during the launch window.
That does not mean that good views are not available there are some excellent options, albeit from a slightly further distance than day or early evening liftoffs.
The best direct views of liftoff are the northern Titusville riverfront parks, one of the local businesses or Playalinda Beach:
- Banana River Bridge on FL-528 W in Cape Canaveral
- Kennedy Point Park in Titusville
- Rotary Riverfront Park in Titusville
If you plan to view launches, don’t forget the bug spray and possibly a flashlight to light your way to the viewing area.
Booster B1069
According to SpaceX, tonight’s booster previously launched “This is the 17th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 12 Starlink missions.”
B1069’s last flight was June 8, 2024, when it launched the Starlink 10-1 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
| B1069 | May 5, 2024 | |
| Flight | Mission | Launch Date |
| 1 | CRS-24 | December 21, 2021 |
| 2 | Starlink 4-23 | August 28, 2022 |
| 3 | Hotbird 13F | October 15, 2022 |
| 4 | OneWeb 15 | December 8, 2022 |
| 5 | Starlink 5-3 | February 2, 2023 |
| 6 | SES 18 & 19 | March 17, 2023 |
| 7 | Starlink 5-6 | May 4, 2023 |
| 8 | Starlink 5-12 | June 23, 2023 |
| 9 | Starlink 6-9 | August 11, 2023 |
| 10 | Starlink 6-19 | September 30, 2023 |
| 11 | Starlink 6-28 | November 18, 2023 |
| 12 | Starlink 6-36 | December 29, 2023 |
| 13 | Starlink 6-39 | February 25, 2024 |
| 14 | Starlink 6-47 | April 5, 2024 |
| 15 | Starlink 6-57 | May 6, 2024 |
| 16 | Starlink 10-1 | June 8, 2024 |
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Countdown Timeline
There are key events in the countdown that you may hear called out in launch coverage.
Remember that once Propellant Loading (T-minus thirty-eight minutes) starts, Falcon 9 is committed to the launch attempt. Because of the nature of the cryogenic fuels used to power the rockets, any hold precludes a later launch attempt the same day. While it only rarely happens, there have been occasions where that has happened, and a launch scrub is called for the day’s attempt.
SpaceX provides the following countdown milestones on their mission information page:
| Hours:Minutes:Seconds | Event |
| 00:38:00 | SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load |
| 00:35:00* | RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins |
| 00:35:00 | 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins |
| 00:16:00 | 2nd stage LOX loading begins |
| 00:07:00 | Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch |
| 00:01:00 | Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks |
| 00:01:00 | Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins |
| 00:00:45 | SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch |
| 00:00:03 | Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start |
| 00:00:00 | Falcon 9 liftoff |
Via SpaceX. SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.
Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight
SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:
| Hours:Minutes:Seconds | Event |
| 00:00:00 | Liftoff |
| 00:01:10 | Max-Q (Moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) |
| 00:02:26 | 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) |
| 00:02:30 | 1st and 2nd stages separate |
| 00:02:36 | 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1) |
| 00:02:57 | Fairing deployment |
| 00:06:05 | 1st stage entry burn begins |
| 00:06:28 | 1st stage entry burn ends |
| 00:07:46 | 1st stage landing burn begins |
| 00:08:14 | 1st stage landing |
| 00:08:39 | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) |
| 00:54:40 | 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2) |
| 00:54:42 | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2) |
| 01:03:34 | Starlink satellites deploy |
All events up to the end of the 1st stage entry burn should be visible for launch spectators watching the launch in person, so long as clouds are not blocking the viewer’s line of sight.
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Author: Charles Boyer
NASA kid from Cocoa Beach, FL, born of Project Apollo parents and family. I’m a writer and photographer sharing the story of spaceflight from the Eastern Range here in Florida.
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