Covering All Things Florida
On November 19, 2024, SpaceX conducted its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The mission aimed to further validate the vehicle’s capabilities, building upon the achievements of previous tests.
SpaceX kept up their torrid pace of launches this afternoon when it launched the GSAT-20 for New Space India Ltd. (NSIL) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff was at 1:31 PM ET under a nearly completely overcast sky.
SpaceX launched the TD7 satellite for operator Optus-X this evening from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 5:28 PM EST into partly cloudy skies just as the sun was officially setting.
SpaceX is preparing for its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system, scheduled for November 19, 2024, at 4:00 PM CST from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-69 mission to low-Earth orbit late this afternoon, and by so doing completed its second launch from the Eastern Range in a mere four hours and six minutes.
First, SpaceX launched Koreasat 6A from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 12:22 PM EST, then they launched Starlink 6-69 from Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:28 PM EST, both on a Falcon 9.
Both launches were successes.
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.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has granted Blue Origin’s application for a water deluge system at Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. It appears that Blue Origin now has no remaining regulatory hurdles prior to the planned static fire of New Glenn’s first stage and its eventual launch at some point in the near future.
SpaceX shared on its X page on Monday that it is targeting Monday, November 18th, for the next launch of the Starship program. The announcement comes only three weeks after SpaceX’s last launch from Star Base in Boca Chica, TX.
Late Wednesday afternoon, SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral to add to its constantly expanding constellation of Starlink satellites.
This time a Group 6 launch, meaning it is a southeastward launch. It will be into very late afternoon skies on the first day of Standard time and sunsets an hour (by the clock) earlier than the day before. The launch window extends from 4:57 PM EST to 8:03 PM and is expected to be under pleasant skies and an onshore breeze.
SpaceX launched the latest resupply mission for the International Space Station this evening with a Falcon 9 launch from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff was at 9:29 PM EDT into skies that cleared just in time for the launch.
The Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola hosted its annual Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on November 1 and 2, 2024, drawing an estimated 150,000 to 180,000 spectators over the two-day event. This year’s show, themed “Celebrating One Small Step,” honored the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, a milestone in both aviation and space exploration history.
SpaceX and NASA are planning to launch a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station this evening aboard a Falcon 9. Launch is scheduled for 9:29 PM EST from Pad LC-39A, in an instantaneous window. The booster used for the mission will return to Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1, several miles south of the launch site. As such, the Space Coast can expect a sonic boom to reverberate across the area at around 9:37 PM.
