Spacex Launch deploys 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
A spacex launch confirmed at Mar. 1, 11: 03 p. m. ET (0403 UTC) deployed 29 Starlink satellites after a Falcon 9 liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a mission that added to the company’s year-to-date constellation builds. The flight’s success followed another Starlink launch earlier that day and pushed SpaceX’s satellite deployments further into the year.
Spacex Launch: Starlink 10-41 lifts off SLC-40 at 9: 56: 40 p. m. ET
The Starlink 10-41 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9: 56: 40 p. m. ET (0256: 40 UTC). The mission returned the company to a north-easterly trajectory after a run of mostly south-easterly trajectory missions that lasted for the better part of four months.
Booster B1078 completes 26th flight and lands on Just Read the Instructions
SpaceX used the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number 1078 for the mission; this marked B1078’s 26th flight after previous missions including Crew-6, Nusantara Lima and USSF-124. Less than 8. 5 minutes after liftoff, B1078 landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.
That touchdown represented the 152nd landing on Just Read the Instructions and the 580th booster landing for SpaceX to date.
Weather forecast and mission tally for the year
The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90 percent chance for favorable weather during the Sunday night launch window, while noting a small chance for interference from cumulus clouds. The spacex launch was cataloged as the company’s 22nd mission of the year supporting its broadband internet satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.
Earlier the same day, a Sunday morning launch placed 25 Starlink satellites into orbit; following that morning launch, SpaceX had deployed a total of 566 of its satellites so far this year.
West Coast activity and a recent abort at Vandenberg
SpaceX began the month with successful Falcon 9 launches from both California and Florida on Sunday. The Starlink 3-5 mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 6: 40 a. m. PDT (9: 40 a. m. EDT; 1340 UTC) with 46 Starlink internet satellites after a last-minute abort the previous Wednesday, which was triggered by concerns about landing the Falcon 9 first stage booster on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.
A video clip shows a Falcon 9 first stage separating and firing its engines to return to Cape Canaveral shortly after liftoff on Jan. 7, highlighting the routine recovery operations linked to these missions.
Crew Dragon schedule and remaining work before crewed flights
Astronauts assigned to fly SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft beginning later this year said Friday they are excited for the capsule’s first orbital mission set for launch Saturday, but they also noted that significant work remains before the ship is cleared to carry people. That sequence of checks and preparations remains a separate track alongside the ongoing Starlink missions.
