Falcon 9 Booster Lost After Successful Starlink Deployment

Falcon 9 Booster Lost After Successful Starlink Deployment

Booster B1059 propels a batch of Starlink satellies to orbit on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. It was the booster's 23rd mission, a new record for reuseability. Photo: SpaceX Video feed
Booster B1062 propels a batch of Starlink satellites to orbit on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. It was the booster’s 23rd mission, a new record for reusability. Photo: SpaceX Video feed

Fresh off of the announced delay of the Polaris Dawn’s 3:38AM launch Wednesday morning, SpaceX made the decision to continue with the launch of Starlink mission 8-6, slated for launch at 3:48 AM. While the launch went off without a hitch, it would not prove to be a great morning for SpaceX.

Polaris Dawn Delayed Until At Least Friday Due To Abort Zone Weather

Polaris Dawn Delayed Until At Least Friday Due To Abort Zone Weather

Polaris Dawn sitting atop Falcon 9 and LC-39A on June 26.
Polaris Dawn sitting atop Falcon 9 and LC-39A on June 26.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

SpaceX has called off the Polaris Dawn launch of Falcon 9 until at least Friday, August 29th. The company announced shortly after 10 PM EDT that it was standing down for the night, and stated on its website that the next launch attempt would be no earlier than the end of the week.

Falcon 9 Delivers Next-Gen WorldView Legion Satellites for Maxar

A Falcon9 rocket carrying a pair of WorldView satellites soars above the Florida palm fronds this morning from CCSFS. Image by Richard P Gallagher

SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket today at 9 a.m. Eastern Time, carrying the WorldView Legion 3 and 4 satellites into orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, delivering the WorldView Legion 3 and 4 satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit. These satellites, developed by Maxar Technologies, are part of a next-generation constellation designed to provide high-resolution Earth imagery. The WorldView Legion satellites are expected to significantly enhance the ability to capture detailed images of the Earth’s surface, with applications ranging from environmental monitoring and agriculture to defense and intelligence.

Falcon to Deliver WorldView Satellites

Falcon to Deliver WorldView Satellites

WorldView Legion satellite illustration. Credit: Maxar Technologies
WorldView Legion satellite illustration. Credit: Maxar Technologies

On August 15, 2024, SpaceX is set to launch the WorldView Legion 3 and 4 satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This mission will expand Maxar Technologies’ Earth observation capabilities, which include national security, disaster response, and commercial mapping.

SpaceX Launches Starlink 10-7 Before Dawn on Monday

SpaceX Launches Starlink 10-7 Before Dawn on Monday

As seen from Kennedy Point Park in Titusville, Starlink 10-7 rises off of LC-39A on August 12, 2024
Photo: Richard P. Gallagher / Florida Media Now
As seen from Kennedy Point Park in Titusville, Starlink 10-7 rises off of LC-39A on August 12, 2024
Photo: Richard P. Gallagher / Florida Media Now

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying another group of Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center this morning in the predawn hours. Liftoff was at 06:37 AM EDT from Launch Complex 39A.

Cygnus Safely Docks With ISS

Cygnus about to be captured by Canadian robot arm. Credit NASA 
Cygnus about to be captured by Canadian robot arm. Credit NASA 

 Cape Canaveral, FL – August 4, 2024 — Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus resupply mission, NG-21, began its journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 4, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, suffered a delay of about 24 hours caused by adverse weather conditions from Tropical Storm Debby as it moved up the Florida peninsula. Cygnus is part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Service (CRS), responsible for maintaining the vital flow of supplies and scientific experiments to the ISS. 

Cygnus NG-21 Successfully Deployed, Possible Engine Anomaly  

A Falcon9 rocket carrying NG-21 soars toward space amidst an overcast sky. Image by: Richard P Gallagher

Cape Canaveral, FL – August 4, 2024 — The Cygnus NG-21 mission, launched earlier today from Cape Canaveral, has encountered some unexpected challenges. According to a tweet on “X” by William Harwood:  

“Mission control just alerted the ISS crew to a possible issue with the Cygnus cargo ship: “Just to let you guys know, good comm with Cygnus, we’re going to have solar array deploy in about an hour. The first two burns were not performed by Cygnus, so they are reassessing what is the current state of the burn plan. We’re hoping to still keep Tuesday (for capture by ISS), but we’ll re-assess once we figure out what went wrong with the first two burns.” 

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 and NG-21 Mission

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 and NG-21 Mission

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.