[ad_1]
After more than a month away from spaceflight, SpaceX is back to launch rockets again with a new mission scheduled tonight from Florida. On Sunday night, SpaceX plans to launch a communications satellite into orbit from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, Florida, in a four-hour launch window that begins at 11:28 pm ET. The company will also attempt to land the first stage of the rocket on one of its drone ships in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tonight's cargo ship is a Telstar 18 VANTAGE satellite operated jointly by Canadian telecommunications company Telesat and Hong Kong's APT Satellite Co., which will cover communications in Asia. The satellite will be deployed approximately 32 minutes after launch. About 10 minutes after takeoff, SpaceX will attempt to land the first floor of the Falcon 9 on its drone ship, "Of course, I still love you".
The launch also marks the fifth flight of the full version of Block 5 of the Falcon 9 rocket. The company stole one of its 5 blocks last month – the first time this variant was reused. All future company launches will utilize the system, designed to fully realize the company's re-use vision by reducing the need for significant retrofits and reducing the amount of time required between flights.
People who wake up late to watch the flight can listen to the webcast 15 minutes before the launch. In the event that the launch does not arrive tonight, SpaceX says it has a backup window tomorrow, Monday, September 10th at 11:28 pm ET.
Source link
