Florida’s Space Coast hosted 48 major orbital rocket launches during the first six months of this year. The question: Will NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, home of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, break the 100-launch barrier by Dec. 31?
For comparison’s sake, a record 72 orbital launches took flight last year, setting a new annual record – which seems destined to be short-lived.
This year, SpaceX accounted for 45 of the first 48 Space Coast launches by the end of June. United Launch Alliance sent the other three rockets: the first Vulcan on its certification mission on January 8, the final Delta IV Heavy on April 9 on the NROL-70 mission, and the first mission of Boeing’s Starliner shuttle on June 5.
Below are the latest missions coming from Cape Canaveral. All departures are listed in Eastern Daylight Time. Please note: Dates and times are routinely subject to change for a variety of reasons.
Cape Canaveral:Florida rocket launch: Here’s an updated list of all 2024 Space Coast missions
For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. For more space news, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Wednesday, July 3: SpaceX Starlink 8-9
Although SpaceX has not publicly confirmed this launch, another 4 1/2-hour Starlink mission window opens early Wednesday morning, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Federal Aviation Administration flight warnings show.
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will deploy another set of Starlink broadband satellites, which are packed inside the top of the 230-foot rocket.
- Boot window: From 2:01 am to 6:31 am
- Location: Launch of Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Trajectory: Northeast.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Monday, July 8: SpaceX Turksat 6A
Although SpaceX has not yet announced this mission, Turkish media and the Coastal Space Tourism Office report that the Türksat 6A satellite will launch on Monday afternoon.
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will deploy Turkey’s first domestically manufactured geostationary communications satellite, the Coastal Space Tourism Office reports.
- Start: 5:20 p.m
- Location: Launch of Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Tuesday, July 30: United Launch Alliance USSF-51
- Mission: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the secretive USSF-51 mission for the Space Forces’ Space Systems Command.
- Boot window: TBA
- Location: Launch of Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Early August: SpaceX ISS resupply mission
- Mission: NASA, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX are targeting early August to launch the Cygnus spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.
- Boot window: TBA
- Location: Launch of Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
TBA: SpaceX Polaris Dawn
- MISSION: Shift4 founder and entrepreneur Jared Isaacman will once again command a SpaceX Dragon orbital mission. This mission will bring the debut of the SpaceX EVA (extravehicular activity) suit, as well as the first spacewalk by a private company.
- Boot window: TBA.
- Location: TBA.
- Live coverage: It starts two hours before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Thursday, October 10: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Europa Clipper
- Mission: NASA’s Europa Clipper is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to conduct the first detailed investigations of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
- Start: TBA.
- Location: Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
- Live coverage: It starts two hours before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
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