SpaceX’s 10th Internet Starlink satellite mission could launch just a day before a ULA Atlas V rocket is scheduled to send NASA’s Mars 2020 ‘Perseverance’ rover on its way to Mars.
After a full month of delays in the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink-9 mission and just under two weeks of delays in launching ULA of NASA’s upcoming NASA Mars exploration mission, both missions have converged on the same period of ~ 24 hours. It will be the third time that SpaceX launches a single Falcon 9 booster in five orbital-class missions, Falcon 9 B1051 is slated to launch 57 Starlink v1.0 satellites and two BlackSky Earth spacecraft no earlier than (NET) 4:26 am EDT ( 08:26 UTC) on Wednesday July 29.
Except for additional delays (possibly for both missions), a ULA Atlas V 541 rocket is scheduled to launch NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover at 7:50 am EDT (11:50 UTC) on Thursday, July 30.
On July 8, SpaceX got even closer to the launch of its tenth Internet Starlink satellite mission, but was finally cleaned up a few minutes before launch by stormy weather. Starlink-9 was later rescheduled for July 10 and then 11, but was indefinitely delayed shortly thereafter. Ironically, SpaceX was forced to steal Starlink-9’s Falcon 9 upper stage for use in the commercial launch of the ANASIS II satellite for South Korea after problems with the mission’s original hardware were discovered.
Falcon 9’s B1058 booster and former Starlink-9 upper stage successfully launched the ANASIS II military commsat on July 20, breaking a world record for the fastest orbital class rocket change (i.e. time between consecutive flights) .
After presumably reassigning a flight-ready upper stage in Florida, SpaceX is again ready to try launching Starlink-9. In an unexpected twist, as long as the embattled mission can escape further delays, the launch of Starlink could happen just a day before the United Launch Alliance (ULA) sends a NASA rover to Mars on its way to the Planet. Red. Currently scheduled to launch ~ 27 hours apart. If both missions avoid further delays, it would be one of the fastest consecutive SpaceX-ULA launches, requiring close cooperation between the two companies, NASA and the US Army’s 45th Space Wing.
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