SpaceX Plans Double Launch Weekend for Starlink Missions

Cape Canaveral, Florida – SpaceX is set for a busy weekend with two planned launches aimed at bolstering its Starlink broadband internet service. The first launch, Starlink 6-89, is slated to take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 10:08 p.m. EST on Friday night, while a second mission, Starlink 6-85, will follow shortly after within a four-hour window.

The 45th Weather Squadron has given both missions a more than 95 percent chance of favorable weather, a positive outlook following recent solar activity that has only a moderate risk of interference. This mission will utilize the Falcon 9 booster identified as B1092, marking its eighth flight, with a successful landing target on the drone ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas‘ in the Atlantic.

Notably, the Starlink 6-89 mission supports SpaceX’s growing satellite constellation, which is quickly becoming the largest network of its kind in low Earth orbit. This mission comes after the successful deployment of another 29 Starlink satellites earlier this month.

SpaceX aims to re-launch the Falcon 9 booster from May, which previously ferried astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station. This time, the booster will carry a South Korean military communications satellite as part of its efforts to establish a record for the fastest turnaround times between missions for an orbital-class rocket stage.

The anticipated flights mark SpaceX’s continuing dominance in the commercial launch sector, with the company achieving 92 launches by the end of this year, many of which have significantly enhanced Starlink’s coverage. Following Saturday’s missions, SpaceX will be poised for further innovative launches as they seek to meet the increasing demand for satellite-based internet access.