Weather Finally Cooperates, SpaceX Launches Astra 1P – Talk of Titusville

Posted: Published on June 21st, 2024

This post was added by Dr Simmons

Falcon 9 / Astra 1P / SES-24 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 today. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Florida weather can be a capricious, fickle thing, and thats just what it has been the past few days on the Space Coast: windy, occasional rain, or sometimes both weather thats normal for this time of year but not very good for launching rockets. That caused two scrubs for SpaceX this week, due to high winds at Cape Canaveral.

Today, on the third attempt, the winds abated and the storms stayed far enough away for SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 carrying the Astra 1P / SES-24 television satellite to orbit. Liftoff was at the opening of the launch window at 5:35 PM EDT and roughly eight-and-a-half minutes later, Booster B1080 touched down safely aboard ASDS Just Read The Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean, completing its mission for the day. At 6:10 PM EDT, SpaceX confirmed successful deployment of the payload, marking another successful mission for the launch services company. Astra 1P will now move under its own power to geosynchronous orbit, where it will begin its commissioning process.

Built by Thales Alenia Space, Astra 1P is a television satellite that will serve the pan-European market once operational. It is the most powerful wide-beam satellite to ever orbit at 19.2 degrees East. It offers up to 80 physical transponders with bandwidth filters and can carry up to 500 high-definition stations to roughly 119 million homes in its target markets.

Astra 1P was ordered in November 2021 (along with Asra 1Q). It is based on the Thales SpaceBusNEO platform and intended to replace three satellites. It is planned for about fifteen years of use.

Booster B1080 completed its ninth flight today after it successfully touched down on ASDS Just Read The Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

JRTI and B1080 will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be offloaded and transported to SpaceXs Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center. There, it will be inspected, refurbished as necessary and prepared for its next flight assignment.

SpaceX plans to launch Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Stations SLC-40 on Sunday, June 23rd.

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.

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Weather Finally Cooperates, SpaceX Launches Astra 1P - Talk of Titusville

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