SpaceX will try to launch two Falcon 9 rockets from Florida on Sunday
Update: Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket and uncrewed Dragon vessel at 11:47 a.m. EDT, Monday, June 5, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, followed by a booster landing on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean a short time later. Read our full post-launch story here.
Update: Liftoff of Falcon 9 at 8:20 a.m. EDT with 22 second-generation Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida! After a flight toward the southeast, the rocket's first stage also landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Read our full post-launch story here.
After delaying an International Space Station resupply run due to weekend weather concerns, SpaceX will attempt to launch two Falcon 9 missions less than four hours apart on Sunday.
Though back-to-back launches on the same day are rare, this will not mark the fastest turnaround between two Florida missions. That honor still belongs to NASA's Gemini program, which launched two separate vehicles from Florida in a roughly 90-minute window in 1966.
First launch: SpaceX Starlink
Up first is a Starlink internet mission slated to fly from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40.
If the timeline and weather conditions stay in the green, teams hope to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with 22 Starlink internet satellites at 8:20 a.m. EDT.
This mission, flying a southeastern trajectory, will target a drone ship landing in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship named Just Read the Instructions will host.
Live updates: Follow as SpaceX targets 8:20 a.m. for the first of two Falcon 9 liftoffs scheduled for Sunday
Rocket launch schedule: Upcoming Florida launches and landings
Weather, however, is iffy: the Space Force on Saturday said conditions would likely be 50% "go" for liftoff due to clouds and the potential for rocket-triggered lightning. Scattered showers are also expected.
"The changes in sensible weather across the spaceport will be minimal with abundant moisture," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said. "There will be periods of onshore moving showers and storms, with the highest coverage in the first half of the day, before activity focuses more inland in the afternoon."
SpaceX has launched more than 4,500 Starlink internet satellites since the constellation got underway in 2019. This will mark the Space Coast's 27th launch of the year.
Second launch: ISS resupply mission
STARCOM update: In major move, Space Force selects Florida for STARCOM HQ
Sunday's second mission will also fly on a Falcon 9 rocket, this time from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A.
Instead of satellites, however, the rocket will fly with a Dragon capsule packed with thousand of pounds of cargo, supplies, and science experiments for the crew of the International Space Station. Liftoff is set for 12:12 p.m. EDT.
After liftoff and a flight toward the northeast, Falcon 9 will target a drone ship landing – this time on A Shortfall of Gravitas – just under nine minutes after liftoff. It will mark the booster's third flight to date.
Weather conditions are expected to be a little more turbulent for this launch: 40% "go," according to the Space Force.
"Showers and storms in the vicinity will still present the primary weather concern for the primary launch window midday Sunday," forecasters said.
If everything goes according to plan, Dragon should arrive at the ISS at 4:15 a.m. EDT Monday, June 5.
For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX will try to launch two Falcon 9 rockets from Florida on Sunday
