Starlink Group 9-14 launch out of SLC-4E in California currently scheduled for 2024-12-05 03:05 UTC, or 2024-12-04 19:05 local time (PST). B1081-12 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ7Xnn_XzaA
• Spaceflight Now: none
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad:
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1864506448174305477
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ekNXy7x63c

Starlink Group 6-70 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-12-04 10:13 UTC, or 2024-12-04 10:13 local time (EST). Booster 1067-24 to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

B1067 will become the first booster to launch for its 24th time.

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05KZAj0mq9Y
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAV-PCbDobo
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssfEk27azKw
• The Launch Pad: none
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1864250526311043450
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvZt2I6jLsQ

Unlike previous launches of NRO satellites, the NROL-126 mission included an unspecified number of government satellites and 20 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites.

I guess that makes it a rideshare of sorts.

The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:10 a.m. Eastern, the NRO said in a statement. Although the launch was scheduled and announced, there was no live broadcast of the liftoff and a live feed only became available shortly before the main engine cutoff during the flight. It’s unclear if this was due to operational decisions or specific requests from the NRO.

This marks the second SLC-4E webcast in a row to go live only after liftoff, as something similar occurred for Starlink 9-13:

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) happened at 9:25:30 p.m. PST (12:25:30 a.m. EST, 0525:30 UTC). SpaceX didn’t publicly announce its target T-0 prior to launch, but the CelesTrak website said SpaceX provided it with that launch time.

The mission appeared to be the first time that SpaceX would not stream the launch or booster landing live. Unlike previous recent missions, SpaceX didn’t made a statement on its profile on X, formerly Twitter, about the upcoming launch or how to view it.

Suddenly at 12:27 a.m. EST (0527 UTC), nearly two minutes after liftoff, SpaceX began streaming onboard camera views from its Falcon 9 rocket.

I hope this doesn't become a trend... liftoff is one of the best parts.

SpaceX Starship page

Portions of this thread copied from a Starship Dev thread on r/SpaceX.

FAQ

1. When next launch? (Flight 7) NET Jan 11th according to recent documentation NASA filed with the FAA. (Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera 1, Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera 2) Advisories posted for Jan 10th through 16th. (ViX, Starship Gazer 1, Starship Gazer 2, NSF, WatchersTank)
2. When previous launch? (Flight 6)? Booster 13 and Ship 31 launched on 2024-11-19.
3. What was the result? Booster catch attempt aborted, performed soft splashdown in the Gulf. Ship performs in-space raptor relight, survives reentry, and makes an on-target splashdown.

Quick Links

Nerdle Cam | Lab Cam | Sapphire Cam | Sentinel Cam | Rover Cam | Rover 2.0 Cam | Rocket Ranch Cam | Plex Cam | NSF Starbase Live

Starship Dev November | IFT-6 launch thread | Starship Dev October | IFT-5 launch thread | Starship Dev 57 | Starship Dev 56 | IFT-4 launch thread

Official SpaceX Starship Update Video (2024-04-06)

Road closures and road delays

Cameron County website - @bocaroad Mastodon bot

*As of 2024-12-27

• 1-hour road delay was posted for Dec 5th (21:00 to 00:00) for transport from factory to pad.
• 2-hour road delay is posted for Dec 6th (00:00 to 04:00) for transport from Massey's to factory.
• 8-hour road closure is scheduled for Dec 7th (08:00 to 16:00) for non-flight testing activities.
• 12-hour road closures are posted for Dec 9th and 10th (08:00 to 20:00) for non-flight testing activities.
• Dec 7th and 9th closures are scheduled.
• 2-hour road delays are posted for Dec 9th and 10th (00:00 to 03:00) for transport from factory to... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (desde la fabrica hasta Massey's)
• Road delay is posted for Dec 10th from 08:00 to 11:00 for tank installation.
• Dec 10th road closure is revoked, likely indicating that the static fire of B14 on Dec 9th went well.
• 2-hour road delays are posted and revoked for Dec 11th (10:00 to 14:00) and 12th (00:00 to 03:00) for transport from factory to Massey’s.
• A road delay is posted for Dec 11th from 16:00 to 19:00 for tank installation.
• Road delays are posted for Dec 12th and 13th (07:00 to 10:00) for tank installation. The associated document appears to be a duplicate of the Dec 11th document, but other sections of the website indicate the existence of the closures.
• A 2-hour road delay is posted for Dec 17th from 02:00 to 06:00 or 10:00 to 14:00 for transportation from Massey's to factory (presumably S33 rollback).
• Additional closures are also listed for Dec 18th and 19th (00:00 to 03:00). (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• 2-hour road delays are posted for Dec 21st and 22nd from 00:00 to 03:00 for transportation from factory to Massey's.
• 2-hour road delays are posted for Dec 29th from 10:00 to 16:00 and Dec 30th from 00:00 to 04:00 for transportation from factory to Massey's.
• 1-hour road delays are posted for Dec 30th from 16:00 and 20:00 and Dec 31st from 00:00 to 03:00 for transportation from factory to launch pad.

Vehicle Status

*As of 2024-12-27

Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.

Resources

• LabPadre Channel | NASASpaceFlight.com Channel
• NSF: Booster 7 + Ship X (likely 24) Updates Thread | Most Recent
• NSF: Boca Chica Production Updates Thread | Most recent
• NSF: Elon Starship tweet compilation | Most Recent
• SpaceX: Website Starship page | Starship Users Guide (2020, PDF)
• FAA: SpaceX Starship Project at the Boca Chica Launch Site
• FAA: Temporary Flight Restrictions NOTAM list
• FCC: Starship Orbital Demo detailed Exhibit - 0748-EX-ST-2021 application June 20 through December 20
• NASA: Starship Reentry Observation (Technical Report)
• Hwy 4 & Boca Chica Beach Closures (May not be available outside US)
• Production Progress Infographics by @RingWatchers
• Raptor 2 Tracker by @SpaceRhin0
• Acronym definitions by Decronym
• Everyday Astronaut: Starbase Tour with Elon Musk, Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
• Everyday Astronaut: 2022 Elon Musk Interviews, Starbase/Ship Updates | Launch Tower | Merlin Engine | Raptor Engine
• Everyday Astronaut 2024 Elon Musk Interviews: Starfactory tour | Pad tour and post-IFT-4 interview

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-11-30, 08:10 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-11-30, 03:10 (EST) | | Launch site | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA | | Booster | B1088-1 (a rare brand-new booster!) | | Landing | Of Course I Still Love You | | Payload | NROL-126 | | Customer | National Reconnaissance Office | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://youtube.com/watch?v=1igMQu0vUag | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceflightNowVideo/streams | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/@NASASpaceflight/streams | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM-we7fdhtg | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1862771327394009232 | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwI55GWsCS4

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ 41st launch from SLC-4E this year

☑️ 6 days, 2:44:30 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 53rd consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (if successful)

☑️ 112th landing on OCISLY

☑️ 380th Falcon family booster landing, 394th Falcon recovery attempt

☑️ 119th Falcon 9 mission this year, 405th Falcon 9 mission overall

☑️ 121st SpaceX mission of 2024, 421st mission overall (excluding Starship flights)

☑️ 125th SpaceX launch this year, 437th SpaceX launch overall (including Starship flights)

Mission info

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight mission page

Fifth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.

Starlink Group 6-65 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-11-30 05:00 UTC, or 2024-11-30 00:00 local time (EST). Booster 1083-6 to land on Just Read the Instructions.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2_K-iFPz-Q
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fzcVr9ix50
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDF51PwMNGw
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JpcGw1Igc4
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1862723527776018457
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLRZGKybR7A

Starlink Group 6-76 launch out of LC-39A in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-11-27 04:41 UTC, or 2024-11-26 23:41 local time (EST). Booster B1078-15 to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrOqfA5Ni7o
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhDIxhRuM2U
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c828R0_vqa0
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oi1D7RueLc
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1861630153392300470
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HSd431eTWY

Starlink Group 12-1 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-11-25 10:02 UTC, or 2024-11-25 05:02 local time (EST). Booster 1080-13 to land on Just Read the Instructions.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Planned to be the fastest booster turnaround to date, slightly less than 14 days after B1080's previous mission. The current record, set back in 2022, is around 21 days.

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1wTuXyhxzE
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SzQTz_7i_k
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAnXTtES1-8
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1860986169389195573
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cySYqN0tY8

Starlink Group 9-13 launch out of SLC-4E in California currently scheduled for 2024-11-24 05:25 UTC, or 2024-11-24 21:25 local time (PST). B1075-15 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkedmW4lyyo
• Spaceflight Now: none
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWVik0V_zME
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1860555808649654756
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mx-8ua_G5w

Source

Reusability (flight number):

Launch pads:

Starlink domination:

By year:

Source

Only two missions out of 400 were unsuccessful (CRS-7 and Starlink 9-3), plus one partial failure (CRS SpX-1 & OG2) and one anomaly before the launch (Amos-6):

Significantly increased launch cadence:

Only 34 missions out of 400 were launched on an expended booster:

Only 71 missions out of 400 were launched on a new booster:

Starlink Group 6-66 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-11-21 16:07 UTC, or 2024-11-21 11:07 local time (EST). Booster 1069-20 to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas.

• NextSpaceflight page
• SpaceX mission page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3JBoubQ7qY
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PpxSk6RjWc
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0jB933Fl7c
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yepixLRCLUA
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1859628265666904572
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCbLu9Ffy4c

Smallsat launch integrator SEOPS has purchased a Falcon 9 launch for a dedicated rideshare mission to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

SEOPS announced at Space Tech Expo Europe here Nov. 19 that it signed a contract with SpaceX for the mission, planned for late 2028 from Florida. It is also acquiring capacity on unspecified other SpaceX launches through 2028.

“With the surge demand for access to cislunar space, we’re approaching a pivotal moment where prolific access to GTO is a must,” Chad Brinkley, CEO of SEOPS, said in a statement, describing the contract as a way to “proactively generate the options the market demands” for rideshare missions.

Brinkley said at the conference that the company does not have any firm customers yet for that mission. However, the strong interest SEOPS has seen from commercial and government customers was enough to warrant signing a contract.

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