- Crew-6 from Kennedy Space Center
- Starlink Group 6-1 (v 2.0 Mini) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (might be pushed if Crew-6 launches on time)
- Starlink Group 2-7 from Vandenberg Space Force Base
SpaceX Crew 6
New launch date 02.03.23; 12:34 UTC
First attempt was scrubbed due to TEA-TEB loading issues. Triethylaluminium-triethylborane is used to ignite the engines on a Falcon 9.
Check your local time of launch at: www.timeanddate.com
Nasa is flying four astronauts and 100 kg of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
It is the sixth time SpaceX is flying crew to the ISS and the last flight under the original contract.
Crew-6 ‘Go’ for Launch Following Successful Launch Readiness Review
Where to watch:
Starlink Group 6-1 (Starlink Version 2 Mini)
Launch date 27.02.23; 18:37 UTC
Check your local time of launch at: www.timeanddate.com
Starlink v 1.5 satellites have been launched since the beginning of 2021. Those weigh around 300 kg and have inter-satellite laser communication links.
Elon is of the opinion that Starlink couldn’t be profitable without a serious upgrade to the satellites and launch capabilities. Therefore a v 2.0 was planned with a launcher that is capable of carrying these into orbit: Starship.
Narrator: the President of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell, announced that Starlink will be profitable this year – without Starship.
As Starship isn’t quite operational yet (maybe first suborbital test launch in March 2023), SpaceX shrunk v 2.0 down to v 1.5 to make it fit onto a Falcon 9 rocket. Version 1.5 weighs 750 kg per satellite and a Falcon 9 rocket can only carry 22 v 1.5 instead of 53 v 1.0 satellites.
We call them “V2 Mini”. They represent a step forward in Starlink capability pic.twitter.com/EFVpLFcz7n
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 26, 2023
Where to watch:
Starlink Group 2-7
Launch date 27.02.23; 19:31 UTC
Check your local time of launch at: www.timeanddate.com
SpaceX will launch 51 regular v 1.5 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg
Where to watch:
Background information about previous SpaceX launches: Wikipedia
Useful links to stay up to date on launches:
Spaceflightnow.com: Launch Schedule
Everyday Astronaut: Prelaunch Previews
Space News:
NASA Spaceflight nasaspacefight.com