SpaceX aims to knock out Space Coast’s 50th launch of the year tonight

SpaceX aims to knock out Space Coast’s 50th launch of the year tonight

A SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral would be the 50th of the year for the Space Coast, but it will feature a milestone for the company as well.

The Falcon 9 rocket carrying up 22 of the company’s Starlink satellites is making a record 17th flight. It’s aiming for a at 10:47 p.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with four backup options between 11:38 p.m. and 1:46 a.m. Sept. 20 as well as five backup options on Sept. 20 starting at 10:22 p.m. through 1:21 a.m. Sept. 21.

The booster previously launched on the GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, Intelsat G-33/G-34, Transporter-6, and 11 Starlink missions. It’s aiming for another recovery landing on the droneship A Short Fall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.

Space Launch Delta 45’s forecast predicts a 60% chance for good conditions, dropping to 30% chance in the event of a 24-hour delay.

SpaceX has flown all but three of the Space Coast launches this year with United Launch Alliance sending up two and Relativity Space the only other one.

With this mission, it includes 37 from Cape Canaveral and another 10 from Kennedy Space Center including all three human spaceflights to orbit from the U.S. this year as well as three powerhouse Falcon Heavy launches.

The launch manifest for the remainder of the year should see the Space Coast beat the record 57 launches it saw in 2022.

That includes several more SpaceX Falcon 9 missions and at least one more Falcon Heavy next month, targeting as early as Oct. 5 to send up NASA’s Psyche probe to the asteroid of the same name.

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