SpaceX plans to launch two Falcon 9 rockets hours aside from Florida and California. Starlink group 6-3 will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with a planned launch time of 12:41 AM ET (04:41 UTC) and from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Iridium OneWeb rideshare launch at 6:19 AM PT (13:19 UTC).
First up, SpaceX will launch booster 1076 on its fifth flight to deliver 22 Starlink V2 mini-satellites to a 43 degree orbit inclination. The 22 Starlink V2 mini-satellites are available at a combined ~17.6 metric tons, potentially setting the record for essentially the most mass to low Earth orbit for a Falcon 9. This shows a gradual increase in the boldness of the Falcon 9 to deliver high-mass payloads to orbit while maintaining the flexibility to recuperate the primary stage. On station for this recovery is the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed roughly 636 km downrange, just East of the Bahamas.
The present weather outlook for this launch has a 60% likelihood of violating launch criteria on the opening of the launch window. Nonetheless, this launch has three more opportunities, 1:13 AM ET (05:31 UTC), 2:19 AM ET (06:19 UTC), and three:09 AM ET (07:09 UTC) through which the weather improves to a 40% likelihood of violating launch criteria.
Targeting Friday, May 19 for Falcon 9’s launch of twenty-two second-generation @Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 in Florida → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK pic.twitter.com/dauhzxh0z5
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2023
Rounding out the Friday launches is the Iridium OneWeb rideshare launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. This can feature the launch of 5 Iridium satellites and 16 OneWeb satellites. The 5 Iridium satellites launching on this mission are essentially spare satellites but will help bolster their on-orbit capabilities within the case of one other satellite having technical issues. Once inserted into their initial orbits and passing testing, the satellites will then be drifted to their final orbits. The 16 OneWeb satellites will feature 15 Gen-1 satellites and 1 prototype Gen-2 satellite, nicknamed ‘JoeySat’, intended to check highspeed web. This Gen-2 satellite is a partnership between OneWeb and the European Space Agency. The technology being tested on this satellite will give the flexibility for OneWeb to quickly adjust to surge demand and likewise rapidly deploy 5G mini hubs within the case of natural disasters to assist with recovery efforts.
No. It’s not like a satellite giant Jenga…(though that will be kinda cool 🤔)
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🛰️ 🛰️ 🛰️Take a look at the stacked dispenser of 5 #Iridium9 satellites (top) and an entire bunch of @OneWeb satellites, on the point of roll for our upcoming @SpaceX rideshare 🚀 pic.twitter.com/9r9lrbCRBh
— Iridium (@IridiumComm) May 16, 2023
The Falcon 9 launching this rideshare is booster 1063 on its eleventh mission. Following stage separation, the booster will land the droneship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’. If, for some reason, launch doesn’t occur on time, SpaceX has a backup opportunity Saturday, May twentieth at 6:15 AM ET (13:15 UTC). Watch the Starlink and Iridium OneWeb launches below!
