All signs point to a successful Tuesday evening liftoff for the SpaceX Starlink.
SpaceX's next Starlink launch looks good to go. The company is set to launch 53 Starlink satellites on the evening of Tuesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center just east of Orlando in Florida. The liftoff is scheduled for 6:57 p.m. EDT and the weather appears to be looking good just in time for the launch.
What There is To Know About the SpaceX Starlink Launch
According to Space.com, there is a 30% chance that the weather won't be feasible for the launch, as the Space Force forecast said there will be "early-morning showers along the coast and afternoon storms over the interior" but added that things "continue to look favorable for launch."
The weather forecasters are now on the lookout for "ight and veering upper-level flow" from winds that might bring showers and anvil clouds to the launch area. In the event that the SpaceX Starlink launch has to be delayed by a day, the forecast said that the weather looks even better on Wednesday, when there would be only a 10% chance of weather causing issues.
SpaceX's upcoming launch will add 53 more Starlink satellites to the growing constellation of broadband satellites. There are currently more than 2,200 active Starlink satellites in space. SpaceX has conducted launches on both US coasts and stationed a "drone ship" near the launch site so the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage can safely land.
US Air Force Enlisting SpaceX's Starlink Service to Support Operations
SpaceX's Starlink satellites gained even more international recognition after it provided Ukrainians internet connection amid Russia's ongoing attacks. Now, this capability has caught the attention of the US Air Force.
According to Insider, the US Air Force is already planning to work with SpaceX to support its operations in Europe and Africa. The agency announced this month that US Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa would purchase service from SpaceX's Starlink satellites to support the 86th Airlift Wing based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The US Air Force's contract with SpaceX's Starlink satellites service has a price tag of $1.92 million, a contract that was awarded in late July. The service will begin sometime between August and July 2023 and will last 12 months. The service is meant as "an interim solution" until a broader contract is agreed upon.
In a justification document for the sole-source contract, the US Air Force said that the contract's goal was to "provide either First-Generation or High-Performance satellite terminals and internet service" to enable their users to connect to the internet.
Currently, SpaceX's Starlink is the only commercial company that offers low-earth orbit satellite communications in Europe and Africa, with the document describing the service as "the most well-established LEO satellite network with more than 1,350 satellites."
The US Air Force added that Starlink is currently the only network being used in a "contested environment" such as Ukraine. According to the Air Force Research Laboratory, low-earth orbit satellite constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink are "much more resilient to signal jamming" and provide "low latency" that is needed for tactical missions, which the US Air Force will be pursuing in such contested environments.
