CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Valentine’s Day could be full of fireworks this year as both SpaceX and the Russian space agency Roscosmos are working on a double-headed launch tonight (Feb. 14).
California-based SpaceX will send a full stack of Starlink satellites into space, while Russia and NASA team up to launch a cargo ship to the International Space Station. You can watch the action live online.
SpaceX will begin the festivities as one of its Falcon 9 rockets is scheduled to take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:21 am EST (0421 GMT on Feb. 15), followed by a Soyuz 2.1a rocket of Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. That Russian launch will bring the Progress MS-16 spacecraft, also known as Progress 77, to the space station at 11:45 p.m. EDT (0445 GMT on Feb. 15).
You can watch both launches live here and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of SpaceX and NASA, starting with SpaceX, which will host a webcast approximately 15 minutes before launch. You can also watch the Starlink launch directly through SpaceXThe launch of Progress 77 will also be broadcast by NASA, with NASA’s webcast beginning at 11:15 p.m. EST (0415 GMT).
Related: Valentine’s Day in Space: Cosmic Love Photos
After a few recent delays and some mission changes, SpaceX is back on the launch pad, preparing to launch its next Starlink mission into space. That flight is coming just 10 days after its last Starlink mission, and could be the first of two launches this week for the private space company.
SpaceX deployed its fleet of salvage ships a few days before launch, with its drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” set to capture this booster. If successful, the landing will mark the 75th recovery for SpaceX since the company landed its first booster in 2015.
Starring in today’s mission is the booster known as B1059, which is set for its sixth flight. This first phase previously brought two different SpaceX Dragon resupply missions to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s CRS-19 and CRS-20 flights, a Starlink mission last June, an Earth observation satellite for Argentina (SAOCOM-1B in August 2020). ), and a spy satellite for the US government as part of the NROL-108 mission in December. Sunday’s flight marks the second Starlink cargo this particular booster has carried.
If all goes to plan, approximately nine minutes after launch, the B1059 will land on the deck of the drone ship and conclude another successful mission.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite megaconstellation is launched in photos
SpaceX created its Starlink Internet program with one main goal: to connect users around the world and provide reliable and affordable Internet services, especially in remote and rural areas. To that end, SpaceX planned that its first Starlink constellation would contain 1,440 of the flat Internet-radiating satellites. The company is currently authorized to launch up to 30,000 Starlinks satellites, with plans to launch more.
With more than 1,000 satellites already in orbit, SpaceX officially offered the service to the public last week. Customers can order the necessary hardware and register via the website of the company, although there is a disclaimer that it is only accessible to a limited number of customers per service area.
The launch followed an extensive public and private beta testing phase dubbed ‘Better than nothing’, which recently expanded to people in the UK
SpaceX deployed its twin fairing catchers ahead of Sunday’s launch and will restore them after the splashdown. The fairings (or the two halves of the protective “nose cone” on the top stage of the missile) are equipped with parachutes and navigation software that direct each piece to a designated recovery zone where they are either airborne or taken down. water through the company’s two newly equipped boats – named GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief.
Those recovery efforts typically occur about 45 minutes after launch.
Currently, the weather is 40% “go” for Sunday’s launch opportunity, the main weather issue being the potential for thunderclouds over the launch site. There is an option to launch a backup on Monday evenings, if needed.
The forecast on Monday improves to 60% favorable.
Less than 30 minutes after SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets haul in its payload around the world, the Russian Soyuz will soar into the air to deliver more than 5,000 pounds. of supplies for the astronauts on the space station.
The Progress supply ship brings in approximately 5,424 pounds. (2,460 kilograms) of cargo and crew supplies currently on board the station. That premium includes £ 3,086. (1,400 kg) of research and crew supplies, along with fresh water, nitrogen gas, and propellant for the drive system of the station’s Zvezda service module.
Following Sunday’s launch, it will arrive at the orbital outpost on Tuesday at 1:20 a.m. EST (0620 GMT) and dock at the Pirs docking compartment.
It will remain attached to the station until July, when it will detach from the ISS (along with the Pirs) and perform a devastating reentry in which both will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. This allows Roscosmos to bring forward a new module – the largest addition to the Russian side of the space station in twenty years.
Pirs currently serves as an airlock for Russian astronauts to use when conducting spacewalks and also as a port for visiting spacecraft. (There is another similar port that stays on station called Poisk.)
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