SpaceX Scrubs Saturday Starlink Launch Attempt, Targets Sunday
The planned Saturday night launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites has been scrubbed by SpaceX. The new target liftoff time is 7:27 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan. 14, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The company had previously been launching at a rate of about every four days from the Cape, but the launch cadence has slowed somewhat with one of the two Florida-based droneships, ‘Just Read the Instructions,’ still sidelined after being damaged in late December.
Saturday evening’s launch will see the first stage booster, tail number B1073, making its 12th flight on the Starlink 6-37 mission. The booster will attempt to land on the droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas,’ marking the 57th landing on the vessel and the 263rd SpaceX booster landing to date. SpaceX will also aim to recover the payload fairings.
The Starlink missions continue to be a cornerstone of SpaceX’s business model, with founder Elon Musk stating that two-thirds of the 96 Falcon flights in 2023 were for Starlink missions. SpaceX’s aim is to have Starlink service available to more than half of the world’s population by the end of 2024, with the introduction of a smaller user terminal that can fit in a backpack.
Looking ahead, SpaceX hopes to far exceed its record launch year in 2023, with Musk setting a goal of roughly 150 launches, not including Starship launches. The company is also working to increase the turnaround rate for its three launch pads, aiming for a rate of under 24 hours by the end of the year.
As for historic background, SpaceX is known for its ambitious goals and rapid progress in the space industry, with the company garnering attention for its reusable rocket technology and plans for interplanetary travel.
In conclusion, SpaceX’s Starlink mission and the company’s broader goals are driving advancements in satellite internet technology and reshaping the landscape of space exploration. With continued developments and ambitious plans for the future, SpaceX remains a key player in advancing the possibilities of space travel and telecommunications.
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