SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched 28 Starlink Group 6-75 smallsats on Thursday, May 1, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photos by Satnews.
These 28 smallsats will join all the others that are building SpaceX’s smallsat constellation.
This is the 18th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, NG-21, and 11 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX moves Wednesday’s launch of Starlink Group 6-75 smallsats to Thursday
SpaceX is now targeting Thursday, May 1, for a Falcon 9 launch of 28 Starlink smallsats to to low-Earth orbit for their smallsat constellation from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The four-hour launch window opens at 9:51 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 1:51 a.m. ET on Friday, May 2. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Friday, May 2 starting at 9:25 p.m. ET.
According to weather officials, there’s a 99% chance of favorable weather conditions for Thursday’s launch. The forecast calls for a temperature of 73°F, overcast clouds, 98% cloud cover and a wind speed of 12mph.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This is the 18th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, NG-21, and 11 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
