SpaceX had its sights set on back-to-back launches from the East and West Coasts.
Nevertheless, only the Florida launch managed to get off the bottom and into orbit.
The Starlink Group 6-10 mission lifted off at 11:36 p.m. ET (03:36 UTC on the seventeenth) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. That mission itself faced a few delays as a consequence of weather across the Space Coast, but SpaceX was capable of discover a window for a successful launch.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/beKNtgwhkc
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 17, 2023
The 22 V2 mini Starlink satellites were released from the 2nd stage just over an hour after launch, with the satellites inserted right into a 43-degree orbital inclination. This launch brings the full variety of Starlinks in orbit to 4,962. This group will now undergo the same old checkouts as they raise themselves to their operational orbits.
Booster 1067 accomplished its thirteenth flight, landing on the droneship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas eight and a half minutes after launch. The fairings that protected the Starlink satellites through the first phase of flight had flown for his or her tenth and eleventh times, and as usual, SpaceX will once more attempt their recovery and eventual refurbish to be used on one other mission.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship pic.twitter.com/yTu2Riu0Ux
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 17, 2023
SpaceX had originally planned to follow up this launch with the Starlink Group 7-1 mission from California. Nevertheless, SpaceX was forced to face down, likely as a consequence of recovery weather, but not confirmed by SpaceX as of yet. Hurricane Hilary is bearing down on the Californian coast, which has forced the delay of the launch until Monday, 8/21, no sooner than 11:04 p.m. PT (6:04 UTC on August 22).
Once the weather is obvious and SpaceX is capable of reposition the droneship, should find a way to get this mission off the bottom and possibly arrange one other doubleheader, as the following Starlink mission from Florida is scheduled for no sooner than the evening of 8/22, pending SpaceX confirmation.