SpaceX is about for a midnight launch to send a communications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit for Intelsat.
The 2-hour launch window opens at 12:15 a.m. ET (04:15 UTC). The Falcon 9 will launch on an Easterly trajectory from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Completely satisfied launch day! 🚀 The Launch of Galaxy 37/Horizons-4 is about to lift off tonight! Launch window opens Thursday, August third at 12:15 a.m. The @Maxar– manufactured satellite on a @spacex Falcon 9 rocket. Learn more and follow the countdown: https://t.co/OXBuNWdlVF pic.twitter.com/dxn1wmVTEP
— Intelsat (@INTELSAT) August 2, 2023
Galaxy 37/Horizons-4 was originally meant to launch on the Ariane 6 rocket.
Nonetheless, attributable to ongoing delays within the production of that rocket, a customer was once more required to alter launch providers to SpaceX.
Built by Maxar, the G-37/H-4 satellite was trucked across the country from Palo Alto, California, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived in mid-July and prepped for launch. Within the last week, the satellite was encapsulated into the flight-proven fairings and attached to the Falcon 9.
The satellite has two payloads aboard, the G-37 C-band payload will provide expanded capability over North American television media and telecommunications network customers. The H-4 Ku-band payload provides continued coverage for the U.S. government and other customers.
![](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/MicrosoftTeams-image.jpg)
Galaxy 37/Horizons-4 communications satellite before its cross-country trip (Credit Maxar)
This will probably be the primary launch of the month for SpaceX as they give the impression of being to follow up on their eight launches in July. There may very well be as many as not less than eight launches again in August, including the launch of Crew-7 to the International Space Station.
The Falcon 9 tasked with the G-37/H-4 mission is Booster 1077. B1077 will probably be making its sixth launch and landing and has previously supported the launch of Crew-5, CRS-28, one business payload, the GPS III-6 payload, and 1 Starlink launch. The payload fairings are also flight-proven. Nonetheless, it’s unknown what number of flights until SpaceX clarifies on their webcast.
Following its portion of the flight, B1077 will land on the droneship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ roughly 638 km downrange, and the fairings will probably be recovered just over 100 km further downrange.
If, for some reason, SpaceX is unable to launch throughout the two-hour window, there’s one other opportunity on Friday, August 4th, at the identical time.
Follow the launch with the SpaceX webcast, it should begin roughly quarter-hour before lift-off.