I am watching from my front yard

Edit: got skunked by clouds. I saw about 5 seconds of it is all.

Stage 1 landing confirmed.

It looked like the landing was going to be off-center a lot.

Another launch from California in a few hours.  I will be sleeping.

Yeah I was concerned for a second, but it corrected itself quickly.

Nailed it.  Again.  

Due to Hurricane Hilary impacting recovery operations in the Pacific, we are standing down from tonight's Falcon 9 launch of @Starlink. Next launch opportunity is no earlier than Monday, August 21 ? https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) August 17, 2023

There seems to normally be a significant sidestep towards the end of the deceleration phase of landing.  I’d love to know more about their landing control algorithms, but I suspect there’s a lot of proprietary knowledge there they prefer not to share.

I would also love to see a distribution of landing points vs target.  Very, very few hit dead center, but it seems that most  land less than halfway from the center to the ring.

It may be that the impact point after the entry burn misses the boat then once the landing burn is going OK they do that side step to land on the boat.

Hurricane and Pacific are words we don't hear very often used in the same sentence, for sure, at least as far as California goes.

I suspect you are correct - that part seems too consistent not to be.

It almost seemed like this last landing ended up offset towards the stern instead of to port (I’m only remembering initial port offsets, but there may also be starboard offsets I’m not remembering).  I’m speaking of the primary deceleration before the final sidestep to the pad.

OCISLY hanging out in San Diego Bay while TS Hilary comes through

Starlink 7-1 launched at 2:37 AM PDT on 22 August 2023.

Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete – targeting Friday, August 25 for launch of @NASA’s Crew-7 mission to the @space_station

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) August 22, 2023

Mission:   Falcon 9, Starlink 6-11

1)  Mission Description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean."    SpaceFlightNow source

2)  Launch window:  9:05 - 11:04 PM EDT (26 August 2023).  Planned launch time 9:05 PM EDT.     If needed, there are currently three additional launch opportunities starting at 9:56 p.m. ET (01:56 UTC) until 11:04 p.m. ET (03:04 UTC).  

3)  Launch Site:   SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

4)  Launch direction:  Southeast

5)  Webcast viewing options:

a.   SpaceX webcast (Starts about 5 minutes before liftoff)

b.  YouTube:



6)  Observation comments:   Sunset: 7:56 PM EDT.   Civil Twilight: 8:20 PM  EDT.  Jellyfish effects might be good.

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.


Credit:   Gav Cornwell@SpaceOffshore.  Just Read the Instructions droneship departed Port Canaveral overnight for the Starlink 6-11 mission.   Contract tug Signet Titan towing.


Doug depart PC on Aug 20 @ 11:59pm ET for fairing recovery.
Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

b.  Satellites:

File photo of SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini satellites inside a payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral. Image: SpaceX

c.  Ready for launch:


Source:  SpaceFlightNow.com

d.  Navigation warning:  


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

8)  First stage return/ocean recovery/disposal:    Recover on drone ship JRTI

9)  Launch to deployment events/timeline:    

Hours:Minutes:Seconds after lift-off.  Times approximate.  

00:01:12   Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:30   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:33   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:40   2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:03:07   Fairing deployment
00:06:13   1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:33   1st stage entry burn ends
00:08:05   1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:28   1st stage landing
00:08:44   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:06   2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:07   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:05:15   Starlink satellites deploy

10)  Orbit insertion:   284 x 293 kilometers at 43 degree inclination

Weird that there is so little to almost no info right now.

Local news sites have nothing.

What I have is launch is a little later than you have posted. Your space flight now link says tomorrow at like 10 pm local.

Who knows what's going on...

I sure don't.

Mission:   Falcon 9, Crew-7

1)  Mission Description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 12th flight with astronauts. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to land at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov will launch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, to begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea."    SpaceFlightNow source

2)  Launch window:   3:27 AM EDT (26 August 2023)

3)  Launch Site:   LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

4)  Launch direction:  Northeast

5)  Webcast viewing options:

a.   SpaceX webcast (Starts about 60 minutes before liftoff)

b.  YouTube.  NASA.gov link



6)  Observation comments:    Night time launch should improve visibility along the US eastern seaboard.  

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.  First stage returns to land and there are no fairings.

b.  Crew capsule:

 

c.  Ready for launch:


SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon Endurance capsule stand ready on pad 39A for the Crew 7 mission. Image: NASA.

d.  Navigation warning:


Source:   NASASpaceFlight.com

8)  First stage return/ocean recovery/disposal:    Recovery at Landing Zone 1

9)  Launch to deployment events/timeline:    

Hours:Minutes:Seconds after lift-off.  Times approximate.  

00:01:02   Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:26   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:43   Boostback Burn Starts
00:03:30   Boostback Burn Ends
00:06:21   1st stage entry burn starts
00:06:32   1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:27   1st stage landing burn starts
00:07:44   1st stage landing
00:08:48   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:12:00   Dragon separates from 2nd stage
00:12:44   Dragon nosecone open sequence begins

10)  Orbit insertion:  Rendezvous with ISS

"Nice rocket company you have there. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it..."

DOJ sues SpaceX, alleging hiring discrimination against refugees and asylum seekers  https://t.co/C8zItD8H8K

CNBC  (@CNBC) August 24, 2023

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/24/doj-sues-spacex-alleging-hiring-discrimination-against-refugees-and-asylum-seekers.html
Complete article linked above quotation.

Good grief.

I hope some future human civilization gets a really good laugh over our current "state of enlightenment".

scrubbed

Wait for official news from NASA/SpaceX. But our team at the launch site is hearing SCRUB for SpaceX Falcon 9 B1081 launch with Crew Dragon Endurance with a crew of four to the International Space Station.

Chris Bergin - NSF  (@NASASpaceflight) August 25, 2023

The Starlink 6-11 mission may slip to late on 26 August 2023 but no official word yet.  Crew-7 is assumed to be the priority launch.

Update:  It did.  My belief is that the review to OK a manned NASA launch includes a review of the previous launch of the booster...in this case Falcon 9.   If they launched Starlink 6-11 tonight perhaps they would have to evaluate the launch data before they could re-approve the launch of Crew-7 six or seven hours later.    Timing might not allow it thus Starlink 6-11 is delayed until after Crew-7 launches.  Again, this is my understanding and I could be wrong.

It's rocket row at Cape Canaveral with three launch vehicles standing ready for liftoff. Left to right: Falcon 9/Crew Dragon, Atlas 5/Silentbarker and Falcon 9/Starlink 6-11.

Launch schedule: https://t.co/ufc1f2AZX5

\uD83D\uDCF7 @ABernNYC pic.twitter.com/4w5E4IHuGn

Spaceflight Now  (@SpaceflightNow) August 25, 2023

All systems looking good for tonight's Falcon 9 launch of Crew-7 to the @space_station. Weather is 95% favorable for liftoff ? https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK pic.twitter.com/mcftLIagN3

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) August 26, 2023

badass photo

NASA stream is live.

SpaceX is live, hour until launch.

Falcon 9 main engine cutoff, boostback burn, and second stage flight with Dragon and Crew-7 en route toward the International Space Station.

An equatorial mount kept the stars pinpoint sharp during the four-minute exposure. pic.twitter.com/oIUa2IFGzU

John Kraus  (@johnkrausphotos) August 26, 2023

about 30mins away

nailed it

I heard a periodic sound that may have been tank venting during ascent.

If this launches at 1:05 UT (27 August 2023) then parts of  Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico may have a great pass just after payload deployment.

1)  For the Colorado Springs area, there is a 15 degree elevation pass with maximum elevation at 8:38:32 PM MDT in the southwest (moving from west to east).

2)  Tucson AZ has a 67 degree elevation pass rising in the WNW (azimuth 303 degrees) at 734 PM MST.  It passes through the Big Dipper handle around 7:37:20 PM.   Maximum elevation is at azimuth 30 degree at 7:38:20 MST.

3)  For the Albuquerque NM area, the objects rise in the WNW at 8:35 PM MDT.  Maximum elevation of 36 degrees is at azimuth 213 degrees as it passes over the constellation Scorpius.  Shadow entry is soon after it passes just above the moon.

4)  El Paso TX has a 77 degree elevation pass with maximum elevation at 8:39:15 PM MDT at azimuth 215 degrees.  Going east the skies are darker so that should help those locations.  

Shadow entry at around 8:40:08 PM MDT (7:40:08 MST).

The Starlinks should be closely grouped with the second stage visible.  Binoculars could be helpful.   Since re-entry occurs to the east of South Africa, the deorbit burn and propellant tank ventings have to happen at some point after deployment and possibly visible to the states mentioned.  Without knowing the time for the events, I suggest that interested people check for local passes and go look.

Personally I am using Heavens-above.com.   Change the location in the upper right and click the link for your passes.

I will add more to this post as I get it.

Thanks to Dr Kelso for the element sets that allow these passes to be predicted and Heavens-Above.com for making the pre-launch predictions possible.

Mission:  Falcon 9, Space Development Agency's Second Tranche 0 Mission

1)  Mission description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 18 Tranche 0 demonstration satellites for the U.S. military’s Space Development Agency. The launch is the second of two Falcon 9 missions to carry SDA demonstration spacecraft for a future constellation of military missile tracking and data relay satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg." Source

2)  Launch window:    7:25 AM PDT  (2 September 2023).

3)  Launch site:   SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

4)  Launch direction:   Southerly

5)  Webcast viewing options:

a. SpaceX webcast (Starts about 15 minutes before liftoff)

b.  YouTube:



6)  Observation comments:   None

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.


Go Crusader departed PoLB on Aug 29 @ 8:55pm PT (11:55pm ET), potentially for fairing recovery operations
Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

b.  Satellites:  


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com



c.  Ready for launch:


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

d.  Navigation warning:


Source:  Raul@Raul74Cz

8)  First stage return/ocean recovery/disposal:    Landing Zone 4

9)  Launch to deployment events/timeline:      

Hours:Minutes:Seconds after lift-off.  Times approximate.  

00:01:12   Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:18   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:21   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:29   2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:35   Boostback burn start
00:03:06   Fairing deployment
00:03:29   Boostback burn end
00:06:02   1st stage entry burn start
00:06:19   1st stage entry burn complete
00:07:15   1st stage landing burn start
00:07:31   1st stage landing

10)  Orbit destination:

The SDA webcast should have started.  There may be a ~30 minute delay.

Standing down from today's launch attempt, next available opportunity is on Friday, September 1 at 7:26 a.m. PT

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) August 31, 2023

Mission:   Falcon 9, Starlink 6-13

1)  Mission Description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean."    SpaceFlightNow source

2)  Launch window:  7:52 8:40 9:31 10:21 PM EDT (31 August 2023).   If needed, there are currently five additional launch opportunities starting at 8:40 p.m. ET (00:40 UTC on September 1) until 11:29 p.m. ET (03:29 UTC on September 1).  

3)  Launch Site:   SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

4)  Launch direction:  Southeast

5)  Webcast viewing options:

a.   SpaceX webcast (Starts about 5 minutes before liftoff)

b.  YouTube:



6)  Observation comments:

Launch site lighting:

Sunset: 7:46 PM
Civil Twilight: 8:10 PM
Nautical Twilight: 8:38 PM
Astronomical Twilight: 9:07 PM  

The 7:45 PM EDT launch time is not optimal for jellyfish sightings but I have seen some decent effects during a launch at sunset.  Later launch times may not be great for the booster portion but can still good for the second stage firing.

Look at Post #33 above.   People were able to see the post venting of second stage propellants from the Starlink 6-11 launch.  If it appears that the same is possible from this launch, I will start a new thread on it and post the same info in a separate post in this thread.  With a 8:40 PM EDT launch I have a 16 degree pass around 8:12 - 8:16 PM MDT.

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.


Gav Cornwell@SpaceOffshore.   Departure! A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship is underway from Port Canaveral to support Starlink 6-13.
Tug Crosby Skipper towing.

b.  Satellites:

File photo of SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini satellites inside a payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral. Image: SpaceX

c.  Ready for launch:


Source: SpaceFlightNow.com

d.  Navigation warning:  



The second stage disposal region is below:


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

8)  First stage return/ocean recovery/disposal:    Recover on drone ship ASOG

9)  Launch to deployment events/timeline:    

Hours:Minutes:Seconds after lift-off.  Times approximate.  

00:01:12   Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:25   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:29   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:35   2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:03:03   Fairing deployment
00:06:08   1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:31   1st stage entry burn ends
00:08:04   1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:26   1st stage landing
00:08:39   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:04   2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:05   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:05:13   Starlink satellites deploy

10)  Orbit insertion:   285 x 293 kilometers at 43 degrees inclination

Teams are keeping an eye on Hurricane Idalia’s impact on weather conditions at the launch site ahead of tonight's @Starlink mission. Weather is currently 20% favorable, with conditions predicted to improve to ~35% favorable by the end of the window ? https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) August 31, 2023

about 4 mins to launch

And we're off!

Looked like the full moon looking forward from the second stage.

Moonlight obvious looking from the first stage towards Earth.

nailed it

Landing confirmed.

California should see it starting around 8:47:15 PM PDT at azimuth 292 degrees.  Moving to the southeast with maximum elevation around  azimuth 215 degrees and elevation 74 degrees.  Shadow entry around 8:82 PM PDT.

This is from Sacramento CA.  If you are north it will be a little lower.  South at some point it will be overhead then further south getting lower but to the north of overhead.

Deorbit burn and propellant venting should be looked for.
Pass information on Additional cities here

Congrats to the @SpaceX team on launch 60 of 2023!

Elon Musk  (@elonmusk) September 1, 2023

Pretty awesome that you could see the SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink launch from the UCF football game tonight pic.twitter.com/8ifMDwbpqh

— Chris Combs (iterative design enjoyer) (@DrChrisCombs) September 1, 2023

I'm liking the broadcasts without the commentary.

Looks like a 24 hour delay in the SDA launch.

Webcast is live.