SpaceX is set to launch 60 Starlink satellites at 9:25 pm Wednesday night from Space Launch Complex 40 on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch can be seen on SpaceX's YouTube channel.
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With clear, dark skies expected at launch time, eastern North and South Carolina may be able to see the launch low in the south to southeastern horizon from. The rocket will be below the horizon for 90 seconds to 2 minutes after the launch from the Carolinas due to the curvature of the Earth.
SpaceX plans to not only recover the booster but also the fairing which protects the payload during early phases of the ascent using a pair of ships that recently sailed from Morehead City, NC.
The autonomous drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" is waiting a few hundred miles off the shore of Charleston, SC. It along with sister ship "Of Course I Still Love You" are named for spaceships in the Iain M. Banks' Sci-Fi novel The Player of Games.
One of the sixty satellites will include an experimental "visor" intended to block reflections. SpaceX has been in talks with the National Academy of Sciences to address concerns by amateur stargazers and professional astronomers about the impact the mega constellation is having on observations.
Launch weather forecast from the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron shows a 60% chance of favorable weather for Wednesday night. Primary concerns are thick clouds, disturbed weather in the area, and lightening causing cumulus clouds. Weather in the recovery area is expected to be favorable.
A backup launch opportunity is available on Thursday, June 4 at 9:03 p.m. EDT where probability of favorable weather is forecasted to decrease to 40%.
