Cape Canaveral, Florida – As November nears its end, SpaceX gears up for the final two Falcon 9 launches of the month from launch pads in both Florida and California. First in line is the Starlink 6-65 mission, set to deliver approximately 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. Liftoff is scheduled for midnight on November 30, with live coverage available from Spaceflight Now.
Leading up to the mission, the 45th Weather Squadron predicts an 85 percent chance of favorable weather conditions at liftoff. Concerns revolve around thick clouds and gusty winds potentially affecting the launch, with uncertainty surrounding cloud cover persisting as a key weather consideration.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster earmarked for this mission, known as tail number B1083, will be making its sixth launch attempt. Having previously supported various missions including Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, and two Starlink missions, B1083 is poised to make history with its sixth landing on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions’.
Post-Starlink 6-65 mission, SpaceX is geared up to launch another Falcon 9 rocket just hours later. The NROL-126 mission, slated to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, marks the latest flight for the National Reconnaissance Office as part of its proliferated architecture initiative. The payload for this mission, speculated to be the government variant of Starlink satellites termed ‘Starshield’, will be the fifth batch launched this year.
In summary, as SpaceX wraps up November with back-to-back Falcon 9 launches from both coasts, the tech giant proves relentless in its pursuit of expanding its satellite mega-constellation while pushing the boundaries of space exploration.