SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday evening from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A as part of the Optus X/TD7 mission. The mission, aimed at deploying a geostationary communication satellite for Australian company Optus, was built by Northrop Grumman. Liftoff occurred at 5:28 p.m. ET, marking the 16th flight for the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster. This booster, previously used on missions like Crew-5, CRS-28, and NG-20, successfully landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Next on SpaceX’s schedule is a Falcon 9 launch on Monday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40. The GSAT-20 mission will deliver a communication satellite for the Indian Space Research Organization to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The launch window runs from 1:31 to 3:20 p.m. ET, with a backup opportunity on Tuesday morning starting at 4:33 a.m. ET.
Weather conditions for Monday’s launch are highly favorable, with Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron predicting over a 95% chance of acceptable conditions. The mission’s first-stage booster, flying for a record 19th time, will attempt a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic.
This mission represents the 80th launch from the Space Coast this year, with SpaceX accounting for all but five. Monday’s scheduled launch would bring the total to 81.
Elsewhere, SpaceX is preparing for a Starlink launch at 12:47 a.m. PT on Tuesday from California. Additionally, the much-anticipated sixth test flight of the Starship and Super Heavy system is slated for Tuesday evening, with a 30-minute window opening at 5 p.m. ET from SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.
(2024 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.)
Author: shadjavist
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