SpaceX is now set for launches Friday and Saturday, reversing course on a same-day launch plan that could have made history for the tightest turnaround between two launches.
it is prioritizing the Falcon 9 launch of the O3b mPOWER mission on Friday, and is targeting a Saturday launch of the company's own Starlink satellites. Both launches were initially set for Friday, potentially less than 35 minutes apart, and could've set a record for the quickest turnaround between orbital launches from Florida's Space Coast, which has stood since November 11, 1966.
The Friday launch from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will loft a pair of internet communications satellites for its customer SES, a Luxembourg-based satellite operator. An 87-minute liftoff window was set to open at 4:21 p.m. ET. Then, on Saturday, at nearby Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center a second Falcon 9 will send another batch of SpaceX's own internet-beaming Starlink satellites to orbit.
Both missions were expected to feature first-stage Falcon 9 booster landings on separate drone ships stationed in the Atlantic Ocean a short time after liftoff. SpaceX did not respond to inquiries from Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network, for this story.
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James Webb Space Telescope spots faint galaxy 'PEARLS' in stunning new viewAndrew is a freelance space journalist with a focus on reporting on China's rapidly growing space sector. He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others. Andrew first caught the space bug when, as a youngster, he saw Voyager images of other worlds in our solar system for the first time. Away from space, Andrew enjoys trail running in the forests of Finland. You can follow him on Twitter AJ_FI.
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