Updated
Updated · News 13 Orlando · Aug 24
SpaceX Targets 5:33 a.m. Launch of 29 Starlink Satellites on 37th Booster Flight
Updated
Updated · News 13 Orlando · Aug 24

SpaceX Targets 5:33 a.m. Launch of 29 Starlink Satellites on 37th Booster Flight

3 articles · Updated · News 13 Orlando · Aug 24

Summary

  • 5:33 a.m. ET is the current liftoff time for SpaceX’s Starlink 10-49 mission from Cape Canaveral, within a launch window that runs from 1:49 a.m. to 5:49 a.m.
  • 29 satellites are set to head to low Earth orbit aboard Falcon 9, expanding the Starlink network that Jonathan McDowell counts at 11,028 satellites in orbit, including 9,733 operational.
  • 90% favorable weather gives the launch strong odds, with cumulus and anvil cloud rules the main constraints; the pre-dawn timing could also produce a visible “jellyfish effect.”
  • Booster B1067 is slated for its 37th mission before landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, extending SpaceX’s rocket-reuse record on what previous reports said would be Falcon 9’s 100th flight of 2026.

Insights

As SpaceX quietly shifts focus to Starship, could this record-breaking 37th flight of a single Falcon booster signal the end of an era?
With over 11,000 Starlink satellites now orbiting Earth, what hidden breaking point might this rapidly expanding mega-constellation eventually face?
Will the spectacular dawn jellyfish effect of Tuesday's launch mask the underlying risks of flying a heavily reused booster for the 37th time?