SpaceX is preparing for its final two Falcon 9 launches of November, using launch pads in both Florida and California.
First up is the Starlink 6-65 mission, which will likely add another 24 Starlink satellites to the company’s rapidly growing mega-constellation. Liftoff is set for no earlier than midnight (0500 UTC) on Nov. 30.
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.
Heading into the midnight mission, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast an 85 percent chance for favorable weather at liftoff, citing thick clouds along with gusty winds as potential concerns.
“[Precipitation] is expected to be done heading into the primary launch window at midnight, but the question of clouds remains,” launch weather officers wrote in their forecast. “Most models still show an extensive post-frontal cloud deck hanging around, potentially flirting with the freezing level, and thus becoming a launch weather concern.
“Factors that play into this will also include how quickly winds above the surface swing out of the north-northeast and reinforce the post-frontal inversion. The most problematic cloud decks will push south through the window, though a low-topped stratocumulus deck will likely remain. Post-frontal winds will also be a watch item, though the strongest winds will occur a few hours ahead of the window with speeds, while remaining breezy, diminishing through the late night.”
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage booster will land on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ If successful, this will be the 100th booster landing for JRTI and the 376th booster landing to date.
If everything runs on schedule with this mission, SpaceX is poised to launch another Falcon 9 rocket as soon as about three hours after liftoff of the Starlink 6-65 mission. Over at Vandenberg Space Force Base, it is set to launch the NROL-126 mission.
This will be the latest flight for the National Reconnaissance Office as part of what it calls its proliferated architecture. The payload on this launch, believed to be the government variant of Starlink satellites, called ‘Starshield,’ will be the fifth such batch launched this year.
