Next Up: Port Return, Starlink

Yeah, yeah, Crew-1 is awesome, but here on the Space Coast it’s always all about the next launch – which will be this Saturday, November 21, at 10:17 p.m. Nope! Sunday, November 22, at 9:56 p.m. local time (GMT-5), when SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites (designated V1.0-L15) aboard a Falcon 9 from pad SLC-40 in Cape Canaveral AFS.

Before that, however, we expect to see the SpaceX ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) arriving at Port Canaveral with the recovered first stage from the Crew-1 launch (B1061.1) some time tomorrow (Thursday, November 19)…

According to Gavin, we should be seeing JRTI arrive in Port Canaveral first thing tomorrow morning – subject, as always, to change:

If you’re planning to head on down to Port to see it for yourself (much recommended, if you’re in town!) you’ll want to keep an eye on @SpaceXFleet and @Julia_Bergeron on Twitter for further updates – and if you’re not in town, NASASpaceFlight.com will absolutely have coverage of the arrival on account of the fact that they have a 24/7 webcam at Rusty’s now, which is just the coolest thing in the world. Check out their YouTube channel for more updates.

Meanwhile, we’ve got a Starlink launch coming up on deck, and if you’re in the area, there’s that to think about. Saturday night at 10:17 p.m. means that Playalinda won’t be open, so anyone hoping for that massive Playalinda rocket sound (like me) is, sadly, right out of luck. Starlinks generally vector north-ish, so you’re probably better off in the northern viewing areas, like U.S. 1 in Titusville, or Parrish Park on the far side of the Max Brewer Bridge.

For further updates on the Starlink launch, including any delays, keep an eye on accounts like @ChrisG_NSF and @NASASpaceflight, because while here at Launch Rats, we are a great many things… prompt is not, generally, one of them.

See you at Port!

A SpaceX booster returns to Port Canaveral. Taken October 27, 2020, by Wayward.