Well folks, it's time for Starship IFT-6! Another booster RTLS and chopsticks catch attempt, as well as the first in-space Raptor relight attempt.

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-11-19 22:00 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-11-19 16:00 (CDT) | | Launch Window (UTC) | 2024-11-19 22:00 to 2024-11-19 22:30 (30 minutes) | | Launch site | Pad A, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA. | | Booster | B13 | | Ship | S31 | | Booster landing | Chopsticks catch at Pad A or soft water landing in Gulf of Mexico | | Ship landing | Indian Ocean |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucEu075bgx0 | | Everyday Astronaut | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjDFirLcQDM | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtmvbQDou4I | | NASASpaceflight | Stakeout stream, launch stream | | LabPadre | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdGJ5p4PP1M | | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSxOuFrqyks | | VideoFromSpace | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7cM90N-CDc | | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1857841326542434339 | | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpyWcPuepV8 |

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 4th Starship Full Stack launch this year

☑️ 6th Starship Full Stack launch overall

☑️ 119th SpaceX launch this year

☑️ 431st SpaceX launch overall (including Starship hops)

☑️ 4th launch from Pad A this year

☑️ 37 days, 9:35:00 turnaround for this pad

Mission Details 🚀

• SpaceX website (current): Starship's Sixth Flight Test

Highlights from Elon

The objectives for Starship Flight 6 are:

1. Restart of Raptor engines in vacuum.
2. Daylight landing of the ship.
3. Higher peak heating (steeper) reentry.
4. Faster/harder booster catch.

There are thousands of small design changes also being tested.

Link to Starship Dev thread

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-11-18, 18:31 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-11-18, 13:31 (EST) | | Launch site | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA | | Booster | B1073-19 | | Landing | Just Read the Instructions | | Payload | GSAT-20 | | Customer | NewSpace India Limited | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMwbJidG4BA | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKerzlu_kH8 | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkba5htG-Hg | The Launch Pad | none | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1858575637319155938 | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6m_rnzprWI

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 55th launch from SLC-40 this year

☑️ 4 days, 5:10:00 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 46th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (if successful)

☑️ 97th landing on JRTI

☑️ 375th Falcon family booster landing, 383rd Falcon recovery attempt

☑️ 113th Falcon 9 mission this year, 399th Falcon 9 mission overall

☑️ 115th SpaceX mission of 2024, 415th mission overall (excluding Starship flights)

☑️ 118th SpaceX launch this year, 431st SpaceX launch overall (including Starship flights)

Mission info

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight mission page

GSAT-20 is a communication satellite jointly being developed by Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre and Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. GSAT-20 will be a continuation of GSAT series of communication satellites. The satellite is intended to add data transmission capacity to the communication infrastructure required by Smart Cities Mission of India.

Starlink Group 9-12 launch out of SLC-4E in California currently scheduled for 2024-11-18 05:53 UTC, or 2024-11-17 21:53 local time (PST). B1071-20 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cp0Pi6Krl4
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09OpPQ-k6nE
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytH-xTRkIhI
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1858386301650977243
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c-ARK-uoFk

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-11-17, 22:28 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-11-17, 17:28 (EST) | | Launch site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA | | Booster | B1077-16 | | Landing | A Shortfall of Gravitas | | Payload | Optus-X/TD7 | | Customer | Optus | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUgL7P8LrOk | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9a0aMJ7Lyo | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p11tCjqKN5I | The Launch Pad | none | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1858273649871982643 | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uy2bWZN4S0

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 21st launch from LC-39A this year

☑️ 6 days, 5:06:00 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 44th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (if successful)

☑️ 85th landing on ASOG

☑️ 371st Falcon family booster landing, 381st Falcon recovery attempt

☑️ 111th Falcon 9 mission this year, 397th Falcon 9 mission overall

☑️ 113th SpaceX mission of 2024, 413th mission overall (excluding Starship flights)

☑️ 116th SpaceX launch this year, 427th SpaceX launch overall (including Starship flights)

Mission info

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight mission page

An unannounced geostationary communication satellite built by Northrop Grumman, alleged for the Australian telecommunications operator Optus. Details TBD.

“The company is incredibly valuable, I think, right now because of Starlink,” she said. “Starlink will add a zero, probably, at least as we continue to grow the Starlink system.”

That growth comes in many different markets, from residential broadband services to maritime and aviation connectivity. SpaceX will begin offering direct-to-device services “within the next month or so,” she said, with an initial version for “very light data” and text messaging.

However, she argued that Starship will be even more valuable to SpaceX in the long run. “Ultimately, I think Starship will be the thing that takes us over the top as one of the most valuable companies. We can’t even envision what Starship is going to do to humanity and humans’ lives, and I think that will be the most valuable part of SpaceX.”

One example she offered was using Starship to launch a satellite. If that satellite was not working, she explained, the satellite could be brought back into Starship’s payload bay to either be repaired or returned to Earth.

She predicted that Starship will rapidly eclipse the company’s existing Falcon family of rockets, which has launched more than 400 times. “I would not be surprised if we fly 400 Starship launches in the next four years,” she said. That will be in parallel with Falcon 9, but she suggested that vehicle could be retired, along with the Dragon spacecraft used for crew and cargo missions, in as little as six to eight years as customers move to Starship.

Infographic source: rykllan

https://x.com/_rykllan/status/1857425165669306610

• B1067 is the first booster to stick its 23rd landing. (B1061 and B1062 each launch 23 times but failed recovery or were intentionally expended)
• B1063 in second place with 21 flights.
• B1069 and B1071 tied for third place at 19 flights.
• B1073 and B1076 tied for fourth place at 18 flights.
• B1077 in fifth place at 15 flights.

https://x.com/_rykllan/status/1857425170098434544

Starlink Group 6-68 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-11-14 10:45 UTC, or 2024-11-14 05:45 local time (EST). Booster 1076-18 to land on Just Read the Instructions.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dUVhPR3DNA
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llu2cabHLjw
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: none
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1857049724022354365
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TU7fk5WjNo

Starlink Group 9-11 launch out of SLC-4E in California currently scheduled for 2024-11-14 05:23 UTC, or 2024-11-13 21:23 local time (PST). B1082-8 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJb1QtpOhKw
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfu8VxWVeYI
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: none
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1856929758116024818
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImuueE-RKBY

Notably, this also marked the first time a booster landed for a 23rd time. The other two boosters that launched for a 23rd time, B1061 and B1062, were taken out of service.

B1061 was intentionally expended for the Hera mission in 2024 October, and B1062 tipped over during it's landing attempt after launching Starlink 8-6. B1067 is the first to stick its 23rd landing.

Until recently, SpaceX has relied primarily on self-produced batteries for its spacecraft. However, as the demand for consistent and advanced power systems has grown, the need for specialized external suppliers became evident. According to industry insiders that spoke with the Korea Economic Daily (KED), LG Energy Solution will provide batteries for both primary and backup power in the Starship rocket.

The project was mentioned during Thursday’s meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, which is dedicated to supporting NASA missions to the Red Planet.

In one presentation, NASA staffers talked about the space agency buying commercial services from aerospace companies to help explore Mars, according to SpaceFlight Now. This includes possibly contracting SpaceX, which currently provides its Starlink satellite internet system to over 4 million users on Earth.

Slides from the presentation show that NASA asked commercial providers to submit proposals that explained how their technology could be applied to Mars. In one slide, NASA listed a concept from SpaceX to develop “Marslink,” which would be based on Starlink satellite designs.

SpaceX’s concept was among two other ideas about developing “next-generation relay services” capable of beaming 4Mbps or more in data, but across 1.5 astronomical units, or the current distance between Mars and the Sun. This means these satellites would be able to relay data to Earth and other spacecraft across vast stretches of space, likely through Starlink's laser communication system.

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-11-11, 17:22 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-11-11, 12:22 (EST) | | Launch site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA | | Booster | B1067-23 | | Landing | Landing Zone 1 | | Payload | KoreaSat 6A | | Customer | KT SAT, subsidiary of KT Corporation | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcG3fqE08RE | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhsYugEZ2FA | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFuqyR97BFI | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZoyc7L4LUM | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1856021162981273691 | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2QiqAKU-tI

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 20th launch from LC-39A this year

☑️ 6 days, 14:52:29 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 40th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (if successful)

☑️ 47th landing on LZ-1

☑️ 367th Falcon family booster landing, 377th Falcon recovery attempt

☑️ 107th Falcon 9 mission this year, 393rd Falcon 9 mission overall

☑️ 109th SpaceX mission of 2024, 409th mission overall (excluding Starship flights)

☑️ 112th SpaceX launch this year, 423rd SpaceX launch overall (including Starship flights)

Mission info

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight mission page

The Koreasat 6A spacecraft, built by Thales Alenia Space, will have 20 transponders for fixed satellite services and six for TV broadcasting to replace the Koreasat 6 launched in 2010.

Koreasat 6A will be based on the manufacturer’s Spacebus 4000B2 platform and is expected to weigh about 3.5 metric tons at launch. It will be designed to operate for at least 15 years.

Starlink Group 6-69 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-11-11 21:28 UTC, or 2024-11-11 16:28 local time (EST). Booster 1080-12 to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgam9W8vEHY
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5XNBM0c0MI
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4CI2oyuM-I (deleted)
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEmUO8Kpaok
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1856085347358388704
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t4LcKSh_Ns

Starlink Group 9-10 launch out of SLC-4E in California currently scheduled for 2024-11-09 06:14 UTC, or 2024-11-08 22:14 local time (PST). B1081-11 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLPkCv3kVuI
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wC4kCGYyLE
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Iplaq38tY
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1855130320569614369
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLa1Xd3NEe0

Some info from by Kiko Dontchev, VP of Launch at SpaceX

https://x.com/TurkeyBeaver/status/1853983823555350856

Congrats to the @SpaceX team on our 400th Falcon launch!!!

While we will not make our original goal of 144 launches, we are still targeting 30 more launches in 2024 (~one every two days). It will not be easy and our work is cut out for us, but the team is all in. The only way we will achieve this goal is if we focus on safety and reliability. Above all else, we must keep the team safe and deliver 100% mission success!

https://x.com/xdNiBoR/status/1854009195148058660

Wait?? The original goal was 148!

https://x.com/TurkeyBeaver/status/1854009618986316164

The original goal was actually 144, but then we only launched 96 times in 2023 so we added four back to make up the debt. Next year we will set a target agnostic of where we end in 2024. It will be higher than 2024 😜

That would be 29 more launches in 2024, Starlink 6-77 launched since these comments from Dontchev.

Starlink Group 6-77 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-11-07 20:19 UTC, or 2024-11-07 15:19 local time (EST). Booster 1085-3 to land on Just Read The Instructions.

The first launch attempt for this mission was conducted on Nov 3rd but aborted at T-2:40 due to a helium issue on Stage 1.

The second launch attempt was scheduled for Nov 6th, but was scrubbed at T-29 minutes for undisclosed reasons.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inuFXJO9jiE
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4eOE4BV2JY (scrub)
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwZp-EktH2U (scrub)
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oGOyTqamAc (scrub)
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1854618152526827852
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uI96G82cME