UNITED STATES: SpaceX faced a momentary setback on Sunday (Oct. 29) as the company decided to call off its initial launch attempt due to a detected issue with the Falcon 9 rocket’s stage separation system. Undeterred, SpaceX is poised to make another attempt on Monday (Oct. 30) to propel 23 Starlink internet satellites into space.
The scheduled liftoff is set to occur from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:20 p.m. EDT (2320 GMT). Should unforeseen circumstances delay the launch, a series of seven backup windows are in place, ranging from 7:52 p.m. EDT to 10:22 p.m. EDT (2352 to 0222 GMT on Oct. 30), according to details provided in a SpaceX mission description.
For enthusiasts eager to witness the event, SpaceX’s coverage will be broadcast live via their X platform (formerly known as Twitter), commencing approximately five minutes before liftoff.
Assuming all progresses as planned, the Falcon 9’s inaugural stage is slated for a remarkable return to Earth, executing a vertical landing roughly 8.5 minutes after liftoff on the drone ship, aptly named “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This mission marks the eighth launch and landing for this particular rocket’s first stage, as detailed in the mission description.
Approximately 65.5 minutes following liftoff, the 23 Starlink satellites are anticipated to gracefully deploy from the Falcon 9’s upper stage into low Earth orbit, further expanding SpaceX’s ambitious Starlink broadband mega constellation. This constellation endeavours to provide high-speed internet service to customers across the globe.
To date, SpaceX has successfully launched over 5,000 Starlink satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), with plans for additional liftoffs. The company is currently authorized to deploy 12,000 of these spacecraft and has submitted applications for an additional 30,000 satellites on top of that.
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