Another 53 Starlinks prepped
June 12, 2023
By Chris Forrester
SpaceX is targeting today (June 12th) to launch an additional 53 Starlink satellites into orbit, subject to the usual weather considerations.
The launch, at 3.10pm (Florida time) continues the near-nonstop cadence of SpaceX overall activity. On the West Coast SpaceX is also targeting June 12th for a Falcon’s launch of the Transporter-8 mission to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The 57-minute launch window opens at 2:19 p.m. PT. If needed, there is a backup opportunity on June 13th with the same window.
The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, and four Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster will land on Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg.
Transporter-8 is SpaceX’s eighth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. There will be 72 payloads on this flight, including CubeSats, MicroSats, a re-entry capsule, and orbital transfer vehicles carrying spacecraft to be deployed at a later time.
As for the Starlink missions, the first stage booster supporting this flight previously launched SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R Mission 1, Hispasat Amazonas Nexus, CRS-27, and four Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.