SpaceX launched 20 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket Friday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Onboard the Starlink 9-17 mission were 13 satellites that include direct-to-airframe capability. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) occurred at 6:50 a.m. PDT (9:50 a.m. EDT, 1350 UTC).
The deployment of the satellites was confirmed by SpaceX shortly before 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC).
The Falcon 9 rocket supporting this mission, which has tail number B1075 in the SpaceX fleet, flew for the 13th time. It previously supported launches of the Transporter-11 shuttle mission, SDA-0A for the Space Development Agency, and nine previous batches of Starlink satellites.
Just over eight minutes after liftoff, B1075 landed on SpaceX’s unmanned spacecraft ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ This was OCISLY’s 102nd landing and its 350th to date.
Crew on deck
The California mission came at a time when SpaceX’s two launch pads in Florida are busy with preparations for upcoming NASA missions. Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is transitioning from a Falcon 9 to a Falcon Heavy configuration to support the Europa Clipper flight to the Galilean moon, Europa.
Meanwhile, Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is preparing to launch its first crewed flight. That mission, Crew-9, will be SpaceX’s 207th orbital launch from SLC-40.
NASA astronaut and commander Nick Hague, along with mission specialist and cosmonaut Alexandr Gorbunov, are scheduled to arrive in Florida on Saturday afternoon. Both will remain in quarantine until the planned launch date, which will not be before September 26.
Because NASA decided to bring the Boeing Starliner spacecraft Upon returning from the International Space Station without its crew, two seats on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom will remain unoccupied during the trip to the ISS.
This means the launch will be Dragon's first operational flight with just two crew members. It is also the first two-person Dragon flight since the Demo-2 mission in 2020, which included former NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are scheduled to arrive at @NASAKennedy At approximately 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 21, landing at the Launch and Landing Facility prior to launch to @Space_Station NET September 26: https://t.co/1qve83OKFj photo.twitter.com/F6hiXGOhP3
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) September 19, 2024
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