SpaceX is set to end a 10-day liftoff lull today (June 18) with a spaceflight doubleheader.
A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch Luxembourg-based telecom company SES’ Astra 1P satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today during a nearly three-hour window that opens at 5:35 p.m. EDT (2135 GMT).
Then, if all goes according to plan, another Falcon 9 will send 20 of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites up from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:00 p.m. EDT (8:00 p.m. local California time; 0300 GMT on June 19). SpaceX will webcast both launches via its X account.
The Falcon 9’s first stage will come down for a landing this evening after launching Astra 1P. It will touch down about 8.5 minutes after liftoff on the droneship called “Just Read the Instructions,” which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
It will be the ninth launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, will deliver Astra 1P to geosynchronous transfer orbit about 35 minutes after launch. The satellite will then make its own way to geostationary orbit, 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth. After a checkout period, Astra 1P will provide TV broadcasting service to customers throughout Europe. (Astra 1P has nothing to do with the American spaceflight company Astra, by the way; SES chose “Astra” as the name of one of its satellite families.)
The Astra 1P launch will be SpaceX’s 61st orbital launch of the year but its first since June 8. A 10-day drought wouldn’t be notable for any company except SpaceX, which is setting new standards for launch frequency.
The lull wasn’t supposed to be this long; SpaceX tried to launch a batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral on Friday (June 14) but aborted the attempt just seconds before liftoff.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
