Spacex Launch Today: Falcon 9 lifts 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral

spacex launch today culminated in SpaceX confirming deployment of the 29 Starlink satellites in an update at Mar. 1, 11: 03 p. m. EST (0403 UTC), following a 9: 56: 40 p. m. EST (0256: 40 UTC) liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Starlink 10-41 mission marked a return to a north-easterly trajectory after a run of mostly south-easterly trajectories over the better part of four months, and it was counted as SpaceX’s 22nd mission of the year supporting its broadband internet satellite constellation.

Spacex Launch Today: Starlink 10-41 heads northeast from Cape Canaveral

The Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral at 9: 56: 40 p. m. EST (0256: 40 UTC) and SpaceX confirmed deployment of the 29 Starlink satellites in its Mar. 1, 11: 03 p. m. EST (0403 UTC) update. The mission’s change of course to a north-easterly path was notable after months of mostly south-easterly flights; the mission is identified in company filings as Starlink 10-41.

Booster B1078 and drone ship recovery

The Falcon 9 first stage used on the mission carried tail number 1078 and was flying its 26th mission after prior flights that included Crew-6, Nusantara Lima and USSF-124. Less than 8. 5 minutes after liftoff, B1078 landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. That touchdown was the 152nd landing on that vessel and the 580th booster landing for SpaceX to date.

Three late-February flights added 83 Starlink satellites

Separately, three Falcon 9 flights on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday (Feb. 24, 25 and 27) put more than 80 satellites into low Earth orbit. On Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 6: 04 p. m. EST (2304 GMT) a Falcon 9 launched 29 satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral. On Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9: 17 a. m. EST (1417 GMT or 6: 17 a. m. PST) a Falcon 9 launched 25 Starlink units from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. On Friday, Feb. 27 at 7: 16 a. m. EST (1216 GMT) a third Falcon 9 lifted 29 satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral.

SpaceX confirmed all three flights successfully deployed their Starlink payloads—Groups 6-110, 17-26 and 6-108. Tuesday’s booster, B1092, landed on Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic, completing its 10th mission; Wednesday’s booster, B1093, landed on Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific, marking the end of its 11th flight; and Friday’s booster, B1069, completed its 30th trip on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic.

Operational context: weather, totals and upcoming missions

The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90 percent chance of favorable weather for the Sunday night launch window, noting only a small chance for interference from cumulus clouds. Following the Sunday morning launch of 25 Starlink satellites, SpaceX had deployed a total of 566 satellites so far this year. The three late-February flights added 83 satellites and, per satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, those 83 boosted the commercial broadband network to including more than 9, 850 units in Earth orbit.