Falcon 9 and Northrup Grumman’s NG-21 Cygnus cargo capsule lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on August 4. 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Despite on a 10% GO forecast and storms closing in from a distance, Falcon 9 flies another perfect mission.
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee) to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff was at 11:02 AM EDT under variable skies that showed a strong chance of storms coming in shortly afterwards.
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 carrying NG-21 in January.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
An ill-timed line of thunderstorms forces a scrub Saturday
Update: 12 PM EDT Saturday
A wave of thunderstorms passed through the Cape Canaveral area around 90 minutes before liftoff Saturday, forcing SpaceX to stand down from its launch attempt today.
Due to unfavorable weather, we are standing down from today's launch of @northropgrumman's NG-21 mission. Next launch opportunity is Sunday, August 4 → https://t.co/bsNx0Xb6I3
The company said in a latter post on X.com that they would try again tomorrow, but with a 90% Probability of Violation and an approaching tropical system off of Florida’s west coast, the chances of that don’t seem very high. Monday’s forecast is equally squirrelly as the system is forecast to arc through northern Florida, creating storm squalls and windy conditions across the state.
On the other hand, it’s Florida and the weather here can be unpredictable. So, we’ll see when SpaceX can get this launch off of the pad.
Cygnus spacecraft for NG-21 resupply mission. Credit: NASA
The International Space Station (ISS) is an island of international cooperation and scientific research. As of July 2024, the ISS has been hosting a variety of spacecraft, including the Boeing Starliner, SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, Soyuz MS-25, and the Russian Progress 87 and 88 resupply ships. The current mix of 5 vehicles and 12 astronauts ensures that the ISS is a bustling beehive of activity, supporting a diverse range of scientific experiments and international visitors. But soon, in the days and weeks to come two more spacecraft and four more astronauts will join the activities.
A long exposure streak image from last night successful SpaceX Falcon 9 return to flight rocket launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher
Cape Canaveral, FL – After a brief grounding by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and deployed its Starlink Group 10-9 satellites early in the morning on July 28, 2024. This launch marked the company’s return to flight status following an anomaly during a mission earlier in the month.
A Falcon 9 launching from LC-39A Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 carrying twenty-three Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad LC-39A early Saturday morning. The launch window for the Falcon 9’s “return to flight” opens at 12:21 AM EDT on July 27 and extends until 04:21 AM the same day. If needed, the company has a backup launch window at the same time, twenty-four hours later, on July 28.
Falcon 9 launching from Pad LC-39A Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
SpaceX has been cleared to resume launching Falcon 9 by the FAA. Almost immediately afterward, the company announced a launch of the venerable rocket from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center early Sunday morning.The company stated that the Starlink 9-3 mishap in a statement on their website “The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line,” SpaceX said.
Closeup of Falcon 9’s Merlin engines as the rocket lifts off. The static fire conducted last night was testing this part of the spacecraft. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX conducted a static-firing of the nine Merlin engines of a Falcon 9 booster first stage at SLC-40 last night as the company prepares to return to flight after a very rare in-flight failure on July 11.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars skyward moments after liftoff from launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Image by Richard P Gallagher
On July 11, 2024, SpaceX experienced a rare in-flight failure with its Falcon 9 rocket during the Starlink 9-3 mission. This mission aimed to deploy 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch initially appeared successful, but the second stage encountered an anomaly during its critical burn phase, which prevented the rocket from achieving its intended orbit.
Booster 1063 safely lands on a SpaceX Droneship. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX encountered its first in-flight failure of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015 Thursday night, resulting in 20 Starlink satellites being deployed into a lower-than-intended orbit. The incident occurred during SpaceX’s 70th orbital launch of the year. The mission, designated Starlink 9-3, initially appeared to proceed without issue after lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday night at 7:35 p.m. PDT .
Liftoff of Falcon 9 carrying Türksat-6A to orbit on July 8, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
SpaceX weathered lightning in the area until skies cleared early this evening, allowing the company to launch the Turksat-6A mission aboard a Falcon 9. Originally scheduled for 5:20 PM EDT, Turksat liftoff was delayed several times until 7:30 PM when the afternoon’s storms were far away enough to allow the rocket to safely ascend towards orbit.
A Falcon 9 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 in May 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
SpaceX is planning to launch a Falcon 9 carrying a Turkish telecommunications satellite later Monday afternoon from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, weather permitting. The launch window opens at 05:20 PM EDT and extends over four hours to 09:43 PM EDT Monday.
Falcon 9 rises over a ghost boat on the Banana River on July 3, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
SpaceX successfully launched another group of Starlink satellites into orbit this morning from its Space Launch Complex 40 facility to open the second half of the year. Liftoff was at 4:55 AM EDT.
