SpaceX to launch two rockets back-to-back with Starlink satellites

It seems that the stars will not join SpaceX after all.

The company planned to launch two groups of Starlink satellites on Thursday morning, but now one of the launches will be postponed until Friday.

The first launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Launch Complex 40 with a group of low-Earth Starlink satellites will still take place on Thursday at 1:19 p.m.

According to the 45th Weather Squadron, there is a 90% chance of favorable launch weather. It will be the 18th group of Starlink satellites to be launched into orbit, as SpaceX creates a global network of spacecraft that provides internet to the world.

About five hours later, in reverse order, SpaceX was supposed to launch satellites for the 17th Starlink mission, but the launch was delayed from 5:36 a.m. Thursday to Friday 5:14 a.m. to allow for pre-launch checks.

There is about a 30% chance of violating the weather restrictions, with the biggest concern being that it is the wind up front.

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The ambitious launch timeline has always been subject to change like most launches.

The 45th Space Wing of the US space force said they had approved both SpaceX launches for Thursday, and if that happened, it would be the first time since 1966 with two launches from Florida on the same day.

“The previous missions were Gemini 12 and Atlas Agena, which were 99 minutes apart,” the 45th Space Wing tweeted before announcing the rescheduling. “The two Falcons will be less than five hours apart.”

SpaceX is now planning to launch the group of satellites earmarked as the 17th to the 18th.

Weather or other issues can always delay one or both launches again. Both missions have been rescheduled several times this week due to the weather.

SpaceX is offering Starlink internet in certain areas in the US and Canada with plans to expand this year. These next few launches will increase the company’s constellation to 1,000 spacecraft in orbit.