SpaceX have indicated that, depending on market demand, they may actually need another commercial launch site in addition to the Texas location. ĬOO Gwynne Shotwell stated in 2014 that "we are expanding in all of our locations" and "you will end up seeing a lot of SpaceX launch sites in order to meet the future demand that we anticipate." As of June 2016, SpaceX discussed preliminary plans to launch an average of 90 rockets per year after 2019. SpaceX believes that they can optimize their launch operations, and reduce launch costs, by dividing their launch missions amongst these four launch facilities: LC-39A for NASA launches, SLC-40 for United States Space Force national security launches, SLC-4E for polar launches, and South Texas Launch Site for commercial launches. Space Launch Complex 40 was damaged in the AMOS-6 accident in September 2016 and repair work was completed by December 2017. Including launches from Cape Canaveral, it was the 89th orbital mission for SpaceX in the last 365 days, a launch every 4.1 days on average.Launch facilities used by SpaceX The Falcon 9 launch complex at Cape Canaveral, FloridaĪs of 2023, SpaceX operates four launch facilities: Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), and Brownsville South Texas Launch Site (Starbase). SpaceX has accomplished 25 orbital missions from Vandenberg in the last 365 days, an average of one launch every 14.6 days. A successful deployment will bring the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to 4,989, according to statistics compiled by Jonathan McDowell. The 22 Starlink satellites will be released from the second-stage just over an hour into flight. Credit: SpaceXĪfter separating from the Falcon 9 second stage, B1075 continued downrange for a landing on the droneship Of Course I Just Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific off shore of Baja California. File photo of SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini satellites inside a payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral earlier this year. It last flew prior to today’s launch on Sept. military’s Space Development Agency and then made four more Starlink delivery flights. It went on to launch the Tranche 0 Flight 1 mission for the U.S. It entered service in January of this year carrying 51 older generation Starlinks into orbit. The Falcon 9 first-stage booster, tail number B1075, was making its seventh flight. Falcon 9 booster B1075 rests on the drone ship after completing its seventh mission. It’s possibly due an improvement in the rated performance of the Falcon 9 or perhaps a manufacturing change that has reduced the satellites’ total weight. SpaceX has not explained how it is achieving this extra delivery capacity. 21, one more than the previous maximum load for a mission from the Cape. On the East Coast, a Falcon 9 launched 23 V2 Minis a week ago on Oct. Previously, missions from there had been limited to 15 or 21 Starlinks, depending on the orbit. The Starlink 7-6 mission was the first time a Falcon 9 has carried 22 of the so-called V2 Mini satellites from the West Coast. The California launch will be followed on Sunday by another Starlink delivery mission carrying 23 satellites, which will launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:45 p.m. EDT / 0900 UTC) with 22 satellites aboard. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 2 a.m. It was the 50th Starlink launch of the year. The first of two Falcon 9 missions SpaceX is planning for Sunday carried into orbit the largest batch of second-generation Starlink satellites to be launched from the West Coast. 29, 2023, carrying 22 Starlink satellites. A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Oct.
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