Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🚀 SpaceX is launching 22 more V2 mini Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 on August 6th at 9:00 p.m. ET.
- 🛰️ The satellites will be part of Starlink Group 6-8 and will be launched on a South Easterly trajectory into a 43-degree orbital inclination.
- 📡 A successful launch will bring the total number of Starlink satellites launched to 4,903, with 3,814 currently in their operational orbits.
- 🚀 The Falcon 9 booster tasked with this mission is Booster 1078, making its fourth flight since March 2023.
- 🚢 The booster will attempt landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” about 8 minutes after launch.
- 🌦️ Weather may play a spoiler, with a 70% chance of unacceptable weather at the scheduled launch time, but SpaceX has four more chances with improved weather probabilities.
On Sunday, August 6th, SpaceX is set to launch 22 more V2 mini Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET (01:00 UTC on August 7) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This launch comes just three days after SpaceX’s successful Galaxy-37/Horizons-4 mission from the same launch complex, showcasing the company’s high cadence of launches.
The upcoming Starlink launch, known as Group 6-8, will be on a South Easterly trajectory, entering a 43-degree orbital inclination. The separation of the satellites from the 2nd stage is planned for just over an hour after liftoff. A successful launch will bring the total number of Starlink satellites launched to 4,903, with 3,814 currently in their operational orbits.
The Falcon 9 rocket for this mission, Booster 1078, will be making its fourth flight since its debut in March 2023. B1078 has previously launched the Crew-6 mission for NASA, an O3b mPOWER communications satellite, and one Starlink mission.
After stage separation, B1078 will attempt a landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed east of the Bahamas, approximately 8 minutes after launch.
Weather may play a role in the launch, as the 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 70% chance of unacceptable weather at the scheduled launch time. However, SpaceX has four more opportunities to launch, and weather probabilities improve to an 80% chance of acceptable weather.
In the event of unfavorable conditions, SpaceX has another launch opportunity the following day, with five windows between 8:35 p.m. ET (00:35 UTC on August 8) and 11:57 p.m. ET (3:57 UTC on August 9).
