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Posted By: RockyRaab SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
SpaceX is planning to launch 60 more Starlink internet satellites today at 10:22 am Eastern from Cape Canaveral. The booster on this flight previously was used on the Crew Dragon manned mission to the SpaceStation, and they will attempt to land it on their ocean barge for further use. Watch it at spacex.com.

Then, United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. That much-delayed launch is now set for 12:02 am Tuesday.

And for a trifecta, SpaceX will then launch the next third-generation GPS satellite for the Air Force, also from the Cape. That one is set for 9:55 - 10:10 pm Tuesday.

As if that weren't enough, Northrup Grumman has set 9:38 pm Eastern on Oct 1 to launch a cargo capsule to resupply the Space Station. This one is from Wallops Island, Virginia. It will be carried on NASA TV.
Posted By: Brad Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
Great. More chit in the sky.
Posted By: hanco Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
I wonder how many BTU’s are burned in a launch??
Posted By: deflave Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
Originally Posted by Brad
Great. More chit in the sky.


I see your internet is working today.
Posted By: deflave Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
Rock,

Not related to your post but since I have you here, have you watched Challenger: The Final Flight?

And if so, what did you think of it?
Posted By: OldHat Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
Starlink is a big deal. It will change things a lot when it's fully operational.

Many unfortunate side effects that worry me a lot.

Neuralink + Starlink + CRISPR is NOT good.
Trav, since I lived through Challenger, and it was the most traumatic time of my life, I do NOT watch anything to do with it.
Weather is marginal for the SpaceX launch this morning, but they are going to try. Webcast starts at about 12 minutes after the hour, also on Youtube.
Posted By: RJL53 Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
No go for today.
Nope. Scrubbed due to heavy clouds. New launch date to be determined.

Weather has been the bugaboo for this launch for weeks now, mostly because of tropical storms/hurricanes in the Atlantic. My guess is that SpaceX will likely stand this one down in favor of their paying customer for the launch of a GPS satellite tomorrow night. That one will get priority.
Posted By: hanco Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
Maybe it will clear up soon!
Posted By: deflave Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/28/20
Originally Posted by RockyRaab
Trav, since I lived through Challenger, and it was the most traumatic time of my life, I do NOT watch anything to do with it.


Damn.
Thanks for the heads up Rocky. I need to try to remember the Wallops Island launch. If it's clear and at night, I can see it from my deck when it get's up over the horizon. Pretty damned cool.
Updates to all...

ULA will try (for the fifth time, I think) to launch their Delta Heavy with a spysat aboard tonight at 11:54 pm Eastern. They have scrubbed this one numerous times for various ground equipment problems and weather.

SpaceX is now targeting Thursday at 9:17 am EDT for their Starlink launch from the Cape, and then Friday at 9:43 pm for the USAF GPS sat launch.

If all go as listed, I'm pretty sure it will be the first time in history that there have been three launches on consecutive days from the Cape.

Forgot to add: The Northrup-Grumman Antares rocket launch with a resupply cargo ship for the Space Station will also launch Oct 1, from Wallops Island Virginia. That one is set for 9:38 pm EDT. FOUR launch in three days. WHEW!
Posted By: cotis Re: SpaceX Launch This Morning - 09/30/20
Glad gas is cheap right now!
just scrubbed
That has to be embarrassing for ULA. It must really hurt them to see the reliability of the SpaceX Falcons going up on time, when they have scrub after abort after scrub. I think the Falcon Heavy needs to get the NROL payload off the ground.
Agree. Expensive, too. They have to pay for Range support and all the manpower for the launch crew each time, regardless.

Looks like SpaceX is still on for their 9:17 am launch.
Aborted and scrubbed at T-18 seconds. Ground equipment issue is what I'm hearing.

What a "Scrubathon" lately!
Spacex aborted launch at T-17 seconds.....
Ohhhhkay...Launch of Northrup Grumman's Antares rocket with 8,000 pounds of supplies for the Space Station is still on track for a 9:38 pm Eastern liftoff from Wallops Island, Virginia. It will be carried live on NASA TV starting about 30 minutes prior.
Hoo boy... Scrubathon continued last night when the Antares launch aborted about two minutes from liftoff.

So, here's an update to the update:

N-G's Antares from Wallops Island is rescheduled for tonight at 9:16 pm Eastern (NASA TV)

SpaceX's USAF GPS satellite from the Cape is set for half an hour later at 9:43 - 9:58 Eastern. (spacex.com and youtube)

Then, maybe, the SpaceX Starlink 12 launch Saturday morning, also from the Cape but a different pad, at 8:34 am Eastern.

The ULA's Delta 4 Heavy with a spysat hasn't been reset yet, because they'll have to do some equipment work first.
Thanks for the update. I'm glad they rescheduled Wallops Island. Last night it was way too cloudy to see it. It's about 125 miles as the crow flies, but I can see it when it get's over the horizon and flies away from me. It's pretty cool. We'll have crystal clear skies tonight. That lift off will happen about an hour after I get home from bow hunting.
NASA TV is live with the countdown for the Wallops Island launch HERE
That's one off successfully! Cargo on the way to the ISS.

We switch now to Pad 40 on Cape Canaveral, where SpaceX will try to launch a new GPS satellite for the USAF. Liftoff window opens at 9:43 pm Eastern. Watch it HERE starting now.

Well, the scrub monster reared his ugly head yet again. Launch abort at T-2 seconds. There's a backup window tomorrow. Waiting word to see what happened and when/if they can reschedule.

They had already slipped their Starlink launch to Monday, so this delay may affect that one, also. We'll see.
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