[UPDATE: Wednesday night’s double launch from the Space Coast sadly hasn’t worked out. ULA postponed liftoff during the launch window period due to an issue that emerged while cycling the booster liquid oxygen tank vent valve during final checkouts. ULA is still troubleshooting the issue, but all being well, it will try again in 24 hours, that is, on Thursday at 10:16 p.m ET. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched as planned.]
Lots of spaceflight fans have descended on Florida’s Space Coast tonight to witness the rare sight of two rockets launching within a couple of hours of each other. But if you’re not there, you can still watch livestreams of the launches — more details below.
SpaceX Starlink mission
The first mission is a SpaceX flight involving a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of 29 Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit.
The rocket is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral at 8:31 p.m. ET.
As usual, the first stage of the Falcon 9 — this particular one on its fifth flight — will return and land upright on a droneship waiting just off the coast of Florida. A perfect landing will allow it to be used for a sixth mission.
You can watch the launch and landing via the video player below, or by visiting SpaceX’s X account.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) ViaSat-3 F2 mission
A couple of hours after the SpaceX launch, at 10:24 p.m. ET, ULA is planning to launch an Atlas V rocket carrying the ViaSat-3 F2 communications satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit for Viasat, a California-based communications company. The hefty 6-metric-ton satellite will be deployed about three-and-a-half hours after liftoff.
At liftoff, the Atlas V will produces 2.7 million pounds of thrust from its main engine and five solid rocket boosters. That’s significantly more power than SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, which generates 1.7 million pounds of thrust, though nowhere near as much as SpaceX’s Starship, which generates a record-breaking 17 million pounds of thrust as it blasts off.
The Atlas V rocket debuted in 2002 and this latest mission will mark its 105th flight. You can watch a livestream of the launch via the player embedded below:
The Space Coast weather is looking good for Wednesday evening, so both launches are expected to offer good viewing opportunities for those there in person. And for everyone watching online, too!
