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SpaceX planning a Starlink launch sometime this week: Here’s what we know

Crew-7 launch also expected Friday morning

SpaceX succeeds with Starlink satellites on planned double-launch day at Cape Canaveral (June 4, 2023) (SpaceX)

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – SpaceX is planning to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from the Space Coast with its latest batch of Starlink satellites. We just don’t know exactly when.

Some media outlets report the Starlink 6-11 mission is launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station late Wednesday night. The satellites are part of a constellation that provides internet access around the world.

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On Wednesday however, the 45th Space Wing, which handles weather forecasts for launches on the Space Coast, released a forecast for the Starlink mission for Friday, valid from 9:13 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

It says there is only a 10% chance that weather will affect the launch.

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The Federal Aviation Administration NOTAM site shows several notices published for the Starlink mission, with the earliest being Wednesday night with a start date of 11:52 p.m. There are notices for Thursday and Friday as well.

For its part, SpaceX itself has offered no official launch information on its website or social media and normally doesn’t post launch information until after a static fire test is conducted.

One launch that is happening this week — the SpaceX Crew-7 launch on Friday at 3:49 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center — will send a team to the International Space Station, one commanded by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, along with European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

It’s not unusual for SpaceX to plan for multiple launches within a short period, but often one of the missions ends up being scrubbed.

Whenever these launches happen, News 6 and ClickOrlando.com will stream them live.

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