Starlink L15 Now Sunday; Crew-1 Booster Returns to Port, Askew

So if you were thinking, “gee, I really don’t feel like watching a rocket launch on Saturday night,” well, guess what? You are in luck, because SpaceX’s Starlink L15 launch has now slipped to Sunday, November 22 at 9:56 p.m. local time (GMT-5). Playalinda will be closed, so U.S. 1 in Titusville is probably the best option.

The Crew-1 booster, expressing its individuality via nonconformity with parallel lines upon its return to Port Canaveral on Thursday.

Meanwhile, yesterday morning the Crew-1 booster, B1061.1, returned to Port Canaveral aboard the drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) and apparently it was practicing its ballet moves while at sea, for it danced into port nearly en pointe, one landing leg right up against the edge of the ship with another raised up in the air, holding a truly spectacular pose. According to tweets by SpaceX executive meme-lord Elon Musk, this seemingly major alignment disorder is a relatively simple fix, and will not prevent the booster’s planned reuse for Crew-2, NASA/SpaceX’s next crewed launch. No word as yet on whether Musk and/or SpaceX will be funding B1061.1’s future dance training and potential career.

Stay tuned for further Space Coast updates!

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)…

Crew-1: The Morning After

So last night, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 did in fact yeet the Crew-1 Dragon capsule Resilience toward the International Space Station; it was a spectacular launch, and the photos are still rolling into social media, and all around the Space Coast, people are slowly waking up and perhaps wondering what to do with themselves now that the Big Event is past…

Crew 1: T-1 Day Roundup

Today, Saturday the 14th of November, is not Launch Day. Tomorrow… so far, so good.

As announced yesterday, the NASA/SpaceX Crew 1 launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station has moved to Sunday, November 15th at 7:27 p.m. local time (GMT-5), and so, as everyone scrambles to change their plans, here’s a few things to keep in mind:

(At One Point) Crew One (Was) Proceeding On Schedule, Somehow

UPDATE: Crew 1 has slipped one day due to weather at the recovery location – to Sunday, as noted below. If you have Gray Line tickets, check your email for important re-booking information! -WP

Despite Tropical Storm Eta bouncing around the Gulf like a pinball, plans are still proceeding apace for the Crew One mission to the International Space Station, launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 no earlier than Sunday, November 15th, at 7:27 p.m. local time (GMT-5), according to the Flight Readiness Review that concluded today.

NROL-101: Where to Watch

As per the latest news, ULA is currently scheduled to launch NROL-101 on its Atlas V rocket from SLC-41 on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at 5:54 pm local time.

Based on the visibility map posted by ULA to Twitter for the previous launch date, the northeasterly trajectory of this launch suggests strongly that Playalinda Beach is the place to be for this launch. As for why this is so: see my previous post about watching Starlink launches from Playalinda

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Upcoming Space Coast Launches

Falcon Heavy on pad LC-39A the day before its historic debut, poised for flight. Photo by Lupi.

Falcon Heavy on pad LC-39A the day before its historic debut, poised for flight. Photo by Lupi.

At this time, we recommend that you consult the following resource for the most up-to-date launch information available: