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SpaceX is expected to launch its first Falcon 9 from the east coast in 2019. Three payloads will be in orbit, including a lunar satellite financed by commercial funds.
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Derek Richardson
February 21, 2019
The SpaceX Falcon 9 with the PSN 6 satellite and the Israeli Beresheet lunar lander encapsulated inside stands at Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo credit: SpaceX
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – SpaceX is preparing to launch its first Falcon 9 from the east coast in 2019. Three payloads will be in orbit, including a lunar satellite financed by commercial funds.
The takeoff currently takes place at 8:45 pm EST on February 21 (1:45 UTC Feb. 22) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. The launch window has a duration of 32 minutes and the weather conditions should have a 80% chance of favorable conditions.
The main payload of the flight is the Nusantara Satu satellite, also called PSN 6. It was built by SSL and is managed by the Indonesian satellite operator PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara. The two secondary payloads include a small spacecraft for the US Air Force's research lab as well as a four-legged lunar lander named Beresheet (in Hebrew for "early"), which represents not only the first privately funded spacecraft to target the Moon, but is also the first Israeli spacecraft designed to land on the lunar surface.
SpaceFlight Insider is planning a live broadcast from 8:15 pm. EST, about 30 minutes before takeoff.
Tagged: Falcon 9 Lead Stories PSN-6 SpaceIL SpaceX Spaceflight
Derek Richardson
Derek Richardson is a graduate in mass media with a specialization in contemporary journalism from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. When he was in Washburn, he was the editor of the newspaper led by students, the Washburn Review. He also has a blog on the International Space Station called Orbital Velocity. He met with members of the SpaceFlight Insider team during the flight of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 rocket with the MUOS-4 satellite. Richardson joined our team shortly thereafter.
His passion for space was ignited when he watched the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery in space on October 29, 1998. Today, this fervor is still alive. is accelerated to orbit and shows no signs of slowing down. After attending math and engineering courses at the university, he quickly realized that his true calling was to communicate with others about the space. Since joining SpaceFlight Insider in 2015, Richardson has worked to improve the quality of our content and has become our Editor in Chief. @TheSpaceWriter
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