SpaceX Prepares to Launch First of Back-to-Back Launch Series of Falcon 9 Rockets Sunday – SpaceFlight Now

Update: SpaceX has adjusted the T-0 launch time for the mission.

SpaceX plans to continue its post-accident recovery with back-to-back launches in the early hours of Sunday morning. The company has readied two of its Falcon 9 rockets for launch from its platforms in Florida and California.

First up is Starlink Mission 10-4, which will add a batch of 23 Starlink Version 2 Mini satellites to its growing constellation. It’s scheduled to launch at 1:09 a.m. ET (0509 GMT).

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage starting about an hour before liftoff.

The mission follows SpaceX’s successful return to flight early Saturday morning. It was the first Falcon 9 launch in more than two weeks, following a second-stage accident during the Starlink mission, which launched from Vandenberg Spaceport on July 11.

The Falcon 9 booster for this mission, which carries tail number B1077 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch for the 14th time. It has previously launched NASA’s Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station, the GPS 3 Space Vehicle 06 satellite and two cargo missions to the orbiting outpost on its previous flights.

Just over eight minutes after liftoff, the booster will land on SpaceX’s “A Shortfall of Gravitas” drone ship. If successful, it will mark the 77th landing on ASOG and the 331st landing of the booster to date.

Starlink 10-4 will be the 51st dedicated launch of the Starlink program in 2024 and the 114th dedicated launch of the V2 Mini constellation of Starlink satellites.

There are more than 6,100 active Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, according to orbit tracking and astrophysics expert Jonathan McDowell. And SpaceX announced Wednesday that thanks to a recent deal with WestJet, Starlink internet service is now available on more than 1,000 aircraft.