Wednesday, May 15, 2019

SpaceX Falcon 9 Poised for Starlink 1 Evening Launch May 15: Watch Live/Pad Photos


SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket raised vertical and poised for liftoff at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL on Starlink-1 mission targeted for launch May 15, 2019 at 10:30 p.m. EDT.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM – 15 May 2019

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL –  SpaceX is now targeting Wednesday evening May 15 for launch of the first batch of 60 Starlink broadband internet satellites to LEO on a recycled, twice flown Falcon 9 rocket. 

SpaceX also manufactured the Starlink satellites which seeks to revolutionize the marketplace by cutting internet connectivity costs and broadening coverage as well.  

Liftoff of the Starlink 1 mission is targeted for 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, May 15 (0230 GMT Thursday) from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
The 90-minute launch window extends to midnight 12 a.m. and the weather looks promising at 80% favorable.  

Enjoy our photos from UpClose at pad 40 this afternoon. 
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket raised vertical and poised for liftoff at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL on Starlink-1 mission targeted for launch May 15, 2019 at 10:30 p.m. EDT.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
The launch window opens at 10:30 p.m. EDT on May 15, or 2:30 UTC on May 16, and closes at 12:00 a.m. on May 16, or 4:00 UTC. A backup launch window opens on Thursday, May 16 at 10:30 p.m. EDT, or 2:30 UTC on May 17, and closes at 12:00 a.m. on May 17, or 4:00 UTC. 

Falcon 9’s first stage for this mission previously supported the Telstar 18 VANTAGE mission in September 2018 and the Iridium-8 mission in January 2019. 

"Starlink is a next-generation satellite network capable of connecting the globe, especially reaching those who are not yet connected, with reliable and affordable broadband internet services,” says SpaceX.
1st 60 SpaceX Starlink satellites loaded inside payload fairing for launch on Falcon 9 rocket on Starlink-1 mission targeted for launch May 15, 2019 at 10:30 p.m. EDT.  Credit: SpaceX
Overall the Starlink constellation of low earth orbiting broadband satellites will number in the thousands. 

You can watch the launch on a SpaceX dedicated webcast that starts about 15 minutes prior to the opening of the nominal launch window:

www.spacex.com/webcast

Currently the weather outlook for Wednesday evening is rather favorable - currently forecast as 80% GO !!

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events

Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

May 15-16: Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings.  Learn more about the upcoming/recent NASA 2024 Moon landing goal, SpaceX Starlink-1, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-17 launch to ISS, Falcon Heavy, SpaceX Demo-1 launch/test failure, SpaceX Beresheet launch, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, Northrop Grumman Antares, SpySats and more

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