In Cape Canaveral, Florida, SpaceX is gearing up for an ambitious night of rocket launches, with plans to send three Falcon 9 rockets into space. The tight schedule will see the rockets taking off from both coasts in a span of approximately five hours.
The first mission on the agenda is the launch of the Eutelsat 36D telecommunications satellite from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This event is scheduled to take place within a four-hour window starting at 5:52 p.m. EDT. Following this launch, SpaceX is set to carry out two missions focused on expanding its Starlink broadband megaconstellation in low Earth orbit. One mission will deploy 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, while the other will release 22 Starlink craft from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Viewers can tune in to watch all three launches through SpaceX’s account on X. The coverage for the Eutelsat 36D mission will begin 15 minutes before the launch window opens, and coverage for the Starlink flights will start five minutes before their respective launch windows.
Each launch will feature rocket landings on ships at sea, with the Falcon 9’s first stage expected to touch down approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff. The Eutelsat 36D Falcon 9 will mark its 12th successful landing, while the rockets for the two Starlink missions will achieve their 18th and 15th landings, respectively.
Once in operation in geostationary orbit, Eutelsat 36D will provide television broadcasting services to customers in Europe, Russia, and Africa. Additionally, the 45 satellites launched as part of the Starlink missions will join thousands of other operational broadband satellites in low Earth orbit.
This isn’t the first time SpaceX has managed back-to-back launches; just a month ago, the company successfully executed a series of missions involving Starlink satellites, the classified USSF-124 mission for the U.S. Space Force, and the IM-1 private moon-landing mission in under 24 hours. All of these missions were carried out using Falcon 9 rockets.
SpaceX’s ability to conduct multiple launches in quick succession showcases the company’s efficiency and expertise in the space industry. The upcoming launches are a testament to SpaceX’s commitment to expanding its satellite network and advancing space technology.