CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — The forecast does not look too promising for the SpaceX launch of a Turkish communications satellite for early Monday evening.
What You Need To Know
- The liftoff will take place at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- The satellite will provide data, internet and communications to many
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is planning to lift off at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The four-hour launch window opens at 5:21 p.m. ET.
The 45th Weather Squadron has given a 30% chance of good launch conditions, with the concerns being the cumulus cloud, anvil cloud and surface electric fields rules.
“For both Monday and Tuesday, the ridge is expected to shift south of the spaceport, bringing weak southwesterly winds and coastal afternoon thunderstorms to the Cape. Some of these storms may produce 40 mph or greater winds,” the squadron stated.
If the launch is pushed back, the next attempt is Tuesday, at 5:20 p.m. ET.
Going up
The Falcon 9's first-stage booster B1076 has 14 missions to its unique name already:
- CRS-26
- OneWeb Flight 16
- Intelsat IS-40e
- Starlink Group 6-1 mission
- Starlink Group 6-3 mission
- Starlink Group 6-6 mission
- Starlink Group 6-14 mission
- Starlink Group 6-21 mission
- SES O3B-mPOWER
- Ovzon-3
- Starlink Group 6-40 mission
- Eutelsat 36D
- Starlink 6-54
- Starlink Group 6-64 mission
After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket is set to land on the droneship Just Read the Instructions that will be in the Atlantic Ocean.
About the mission
Based in Turkey, the Türksat Satellite Communications Cable TV and Operations Incorporated will have its 10th Turksat satellite sent up.
The last one went up in December 2021 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, courtesy of SpaceX.
This satellite that will provide data, internet and communications, will be placed in a geocentric orbit, stated the company.
"Our local and national communication satellite, which will have a power of 7.5 kilowatts, will have 20 transponders. Our Türksat 6A satellite will serve in Ku Band and will also provide service in new geography such as South-East Asia, which could not be covered by previous Türksat satellites," stated the company.