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Live updates from Starlink 10-8 mission on Saturday

Harry October 27, 2024

Start summary: Scroll down to view live updates Saturday, October 26, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off Starlink mission 10-8 from Cape Canaveral — It’s the 73rd launch of 2024 so far from Florida’s Space Coast.

Original story: A record-breaking launch day with the Space Coast’s unique 73rd orbital rocket in 2024 ready to fly From Cape Canaveral Space Force Station!

Welcome to the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team’s live broadcast of today’s SpaceX Starlink 10-8 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX is aiming to launch a Falcon 9 rocket aboard the Starlink satellite mission from Launch Complex 40 at 5:47 PM EDT. Will surpass Florida’s annual record Of the 72 orbital rocket launches planned last year We drew this week – November and December are still on the calendar.

“With (Wednesday’s) successful launch, SLD 45 will now support 72 launches on the #SpaceCoast in 2024, tying 2023’s total number of launches,” Space Launch Delta 45 officials said in a tweet. he said.

“Meeting and exceeding previous benchmarks is part of how we set the pace for space in this new era,” he said in the tweet.

No sonic booms expected in Central Florida. After soaring skyward along a northeasterly orbit, the rocket’s first stage booster will aim for landing on a SpaceX drone ship at sea, just over eight minutes after liftoff.

Rocket photography: FLORIDA TODAY’s 2025 Space Launch Calendar is here

Update 17:55: Falcon 9’s first stage booster completed its 19th mission by landing SpaceX’s drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.

Update 17:47: SpaceX recently launched Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40, marking Florida’s 73rd orbital rocket launch in 2024.

Update 17:42: SpaceX’s launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now live above, just below the countdown clock.

Liftoff is scheduled for five minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Update 17:33: It’s not significant enough that no cloud cover is visible on the National Weather Service radar loop from Melbourne’s Orlando International Airport station.

Takeoff is scheduled for 14 minutes from the Cape.

Update 17:23: Today’s record-breaking mission marks the 19th flight of the Falcon 9 first stage booster, SpaceX reported.

This well-traveled booster has previously launched OneWeb 1, SES 18+19, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F1, CRS-24 and 14 Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, the crew waits for the booster to land aboard the SpaceX unmanned ship Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean at 8 minutes and 13 seconds after liftoff.

Update 17:13: SpaceX just announced that Falcon 9 fueling procedures are underway at Launch Complex 40.

This means the countdown for tonight’s Starlink mission is locked in to start at 5:47pm without any delays, otherwise the launch will have to be delayed.

“No weather or technical impediments are being followed to launch,” SpaceX officials said in a tweet.

17.00 update: Brevard County Emergency Management officials activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.

Update 16:45: Here’s a summary of SpaceX’s behind-the-scenes countdown timeline. T-minus:

38 minutes: SpaceX launch director confirms “application” for propellant payload.
35 minutes: Loading of rocket-quality kerosene and first stage liquid oxygen begins.
16 minutes: Second stage liquid oxygen loading begins.
7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins cooling the engine before launch.
1 minute: The command flight computer begins final pre-launch checks; Pressurization of the propellant tank to flight pressure begins.
45 seconds: SpaceX launch director confirms “go-to” for launch.
3 seconds: The engine controller commands the start of the engine firing sequence.
0 seconds: Departure.

Update 16:30: In an afternoon tweet, Starlink officials noted that the satellite high-speed internet service connected its first paying customer four years ago today.

“Since then, we’ve connected more than 4 million people, businesses, and other organizations around the world with high-speed internet, and for the first time, 4 astronauts flew around it,” he said in the tweet. SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission It launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center last month.

Update 16:15: This National Weather Service radar loop from Melbourne’s Orlando International Airport station shows St. It shows a lack of significant cloud cover over Florida’s East Coast from St. Augustine southward to Fort Lauderdale.

Update 16:01: The Space Force’s 45th Airborne Squadron forecast called for a 90% chance of weather “going for launch” for today’s SpaceX Starlink mission.

“Surface high pressure will increase across the Spaceport from the north through Saturday, resulting in drier weather across the region. Rain may occur near the coast in the morning, with dry weather expected in the afternoon,” the fleet’s forecast reads.

“Although most areas should see shallow cumulus, there is a small chance that the Cumulus Cloud Rule will be violated,” the forecast said.

For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit: floridatoday.com/space.

Rick Neale He is a Space Reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at: [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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