A relatively rare launch double-header may be on offer today, as SpaceX is planning to launch Koreasat-6A from Launch Complex 39A in the early afternoon, and later, the company plans to turn around and launch the Starlink 6-69 mission from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40.
For Koreasat, the launch window opens at 12:07 PM EST and extends to 4:07 PM, and the launch window for Starlink 6-69 opens at 4:02 PM EST and closes again at 7:44 PM the same day.
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
The Koreasat mission is scheduled to be a Return to Launch Site mission, meaning the Falcon 9 booster, B1067, will complete its flight at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral, and as such, the Space Coast region can expect a sonic boom to herald the return of the rocket. Starlink 6-69 will land at sea about one of SpaceX’s automated spaceport drone ships, and that launch will not create any booms in the area.
For a preview of Starlink 6-69, please click here: SpaceX planning to launch Starlink 6-69. The rest of this preview will cover Koreasat 6A.
At A Glance
- Mission: Koresat 6A
- Date: NET November 11, 2024
- Launch Window: 12:07 – 4:07 PM EST*
- Weather: 70% GO
- Organization: SpaceX
- Rocket: Falcon 9
- Trajectory: Easterly
- Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
- Booster Landing: Landing Zone 1
- Payload: telecommunications
- Destination: GEO
* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.
Payload
The mission’s payload is the Koreasat 6A spacecraft. Built by Thales Alenia Space, Koreasat 6A will provide satellite services through 20 transponders and another 6 for TV broadcasting. It is the planned replacement for the Koreasat 6 launched in 2010.
Weather
The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force Launch Delta 45 has forecast a 30% probability of a violation of acceptable weather conditions through the launch window, meaning that they expect conditions to be 70% GO.
Retrieved 0900 November 11, 2024
Trajectory
Eastwards.
Online Viewing
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Koreasat 6A. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about fifteen 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 Flight 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. They are also on the web: nextspaceflight.com.
For a preview of Starlink 6-69, please click here: SpaceX planning to launch Starlink 6-69. The rest of this preview will cover Koreasat 6A.
Launch Viewing: In Person
For a preview of Starlink 6-69, please click here: SpaceX planning to launch Starlink 6-69. The rest of this preview will cover Koreasat 6A.
Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center is offering viewing from the Apollo Saturn V Center, about four miles from the launch pad. Spectators will still need to pay admission and for parking.
For the launch, the best free viewing options are the Max Brewer Bridge, Space View Park, Rotary Riverview Park or Kennedy Park.
Playalinda Beach will be open for the launch. The normal US Park Service fees to enter Cape Canaveral National Seashore apply.
The best free options available for spectators to get great views of the landing: Jetty Park, the Banana River Bridge on FL 528 W or the southern Titusville parks on Washington Avenue / US-1 are your best bets.
The Space Bar will be open through the launch window. New York New York in Titusville will be open to roughly 7 PM, and is a great place to watch as well. Restaurants in Port Canaveral, specifically Gators Dockside, Fishlips and Grills Seafood should have good views after the rocket clears obstructions.
