SpaceX Launches Starlink 8-11

SpaceX launched the Starlink 8-11 mission into hazy skies with storms looming in the distance late this morning aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Liftoff was at 11:33 AM EDT, with Booster B1077 completing its fifteenth mission successfully 8:22 minutes later when it touched down offshore east of Charleston, SC, on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions.’ At about the same time, the second stage achieved its initial orbit.

At 12:38 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed satellite deployment and the conclusion of another successful launch for the company.

Payload

According to SpaceX, tonight’s payload was “21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit.” That Direct to Cell service will initially be available on T-Mobile, and will be deployed at some point in the future.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

Rumors around the Space Coast are whispering that Polaris Dawn may finally launch after being grounded by uncertain weather in the landing zones at the conclusion of the mission, but there has been no official statement from either SpaceX or the Polaris Dawn team that this is the case.

Given that the current seven-day outlook for tropical activity in the Gulf of Mexico and near the eastern Florida coast has five potential development areas, those rumors do not seem accurate. Even if no tropical storm spins up, the sea states for a capsule return and landing might be dicy, and mission managers are not likely to take unnecessary risks for a crewed mission.

Assuming that Polaris Dawn does not launch in the next few days, the next mission on the Eastern Range will be the BlueBird Block 1 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on September 12.

• Date: NET September 12, 2024
• Organization: SpaceX / AST SpaceMobile
• Mission: BlueBird Block 1
• Rocket: Falcon 9
• Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
• Launch Window: 04:52 AM EDT
• Payload: BlueBird, a direct-to-cell satellite