I couldn't see it, even with a crystal clear night and a perfect view south to FL from NC.  Damn.  Too much light pollution, I guess.

-------------

Slightly off-topic but I figure out of anyone on Arfcom, the guys hanging out in the SpaceX thread would appreciate this...

Even though I couldn't see tonight's launch, I got some decent photos of the night sky with my phone while I was out there.  It is crazy how good the camera is on cell phones today.  This is from my iPhone 14 Pro, with Night Mode.  All I did was turn that on and hold it steady against the railing on the walkway I was on.  Yeah, lots of light pollution.  These photos are straight out of the phone with no processing, other than some cropping and converting from HEIC to PNG (which Imgur was kind enough to convert to JPG ).  I don't know enough about photo manipulation to remove the light pollution.

I set the Night Mode to 10 seconds, which I think uses multiple 2-second images stacked on top of each other, at least according to the EXIF metadata.

Look closely at both these shots (right-click and "view image in new tab" to see the full-resolution version) and you can see the Orion Nebula as the second 'star' on Orion's sword.

Orion, with 1x lens:



Orion, with 3x lens:



I found this shot of M42 on Wikipedia to use as a nice comparison.  Not too bad for a cell phone, with no post-processing, holding it steady against a wooden railing.

They are going to need at least one more drone ship.  Current turnaround time is around 6-7 days from departing the port to returning with a booster.

Have you ever seen a launch heading to the southeast?

The CRS-29 launch on 9 November will go to the northeast.  You should be able to see it.

I was wondering about this as well. Maybe they are planning on a lot more RTLS launches?

Now that you mention it, no.  Maybe it just doesn't get far enough above the horizon for me to see it?  I'll have to keep an eye out for the launch on the 9th, thanks!

The U.S. Space Force (\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8) confirmed the X-37B’s OTV-7 mission is scheduled to launch on a Falcon Heavy on December 7.
\u2070The X-37B spaceplane will operate in “new orbital regimes” and test “future space domain awareness technologies.”

(Old photos) https://t.co/iPrWQPFwTb pic.twitter.com/X70aOG6zSj

— Aerospace Intelligence (@space_osint) November 8, 2023

Oh wow, that is very... interesting.

I seem to recall the last time X-37 went up on a Falcon it was one of the early return to launch site launches. I suppose they are throwing a bit more weight this time.

Or similar weight to a much higher orbit.

Where it will do... Nothing we are allowed to talk about.

Mission:   Falcon 9, CRS-29

1)  Mission description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight is the 29th mission by SpaceX conducted under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. "    SpaceFlightNow source

2)  Launch time:   8:28 PM EST (9 November 2023).  

3)  Launch site:   SLC-39A,  Florida

4)  Launch direction:  Northeast.  You can see the ISS moving to the northeast about 30 minutes prior to launch time.   At launch tie the groundtrack would be closer to over the launch site.


Credit:  Heavens-above.com

5)  Webcast viewing options:

a.  NASA Spaceflight:

Look for a livestream here.  It may not exist for each launch.



b.  NASA coverage link

c.  NASA YouTube link:



6)  Observation comments:     Watch for the first stage boostback burn about 17 seconds after MECO.  Observers in Georgia and north may have a better view of the burn.  Binoculars may be needed.

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.  Not applicable for this launch.

b.  Satellite:  



c.  Ready for launch:




Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

d.  Navigation Warning:


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

8)  First stage return/ocean recovery/disposal:    Return to Landing Zone 1.

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)
00:02:17   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:21   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:28   2nd stage engine starts
00:02:34   Boostback Burn Starts
00:03:28   Boostback Burn Ends
00:06:10   1st stage entry burn starts
00:06:22   1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:19   1st stage landing burn starts
00:07:36   1st stage landing
00:08:33   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:11:46   Dragon separates from 2nd stage
00:12:34   Dragon nosecone open sequence begins

10)  Orbit insertion:   51 degree inclination

Maybe but I doubt it.  Most of their launches are for Starlink and they would have to reduce the number of satellites an unknown amount to RTLS.

Targeting Saturday, November 11 for a Falcon 9 launch of our ninth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission from Space Launch Complex 4E in California ? https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 9, 2023

On board this mission are 90 spacecraft, including CubeSats, MicroSats, and orbital transfer vehicles pic.twitter.com/IDkZ5gJ1YK

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 9, 2023

they actually have commentary for tonight's launch

Watch Falcon 9 launch Dragon to the @space_station  https://t.co/L3GlBUpVz0

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 10, 2023

-2:30

The booster landing video seemed odd.

It did.

Why is there no SpaceX YT video?

Any ideas on what the "Orbital Transfer Vehicles" may be?

Booster seemed to land slower that usual?

That was visually and audibly awesome !

Falcon 9 main engine cutoff, boostback burn, and reentry burn during tonight’s CRS-29 launch to resupply the International Space Station pic.twitter.com/H70UNlQPtM

John Kraus  (@johnkrausphotos) November 10, 2023

Attached File

Those photos are incredible.   I had forgotten about the boostback burn and second stage burn interaction.  Did anyone here see that during the launch?

Mission:  Falcon 9, Transporter-9

1)  Mission description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Transporter-9 mission, a rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with numerous small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers. " Source

2)  Launch window:    10:49 - 11:44 AM PST  (11 November 2023).

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

4)  Launch direction:   South-southwesterly

5)  Webcast viewing options:




Possible coverage here

6)  Observation comments:    None

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.

Fairing recovery:


Go Beyond (fka. Go Crusader) departed PoLB on Nov 9 @ 4:08pm PT / 7:08pm ET
Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

b.  Satellites:   See post 12 above for the integrated payload system.    Scroll through this thread for mentions of individual payloads with pictures.

c.  Ready for launch:


Jack Beyer photo

d.  Navigation warning:


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

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

9)  Launch to deployment events/timeline:      

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

00:01:05   Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:19   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:22   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:30   2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:35   1st stage boostback burn begins
00:03:01   Fairing deployment
00:03:29   1st stage boostback burn ends
00:06:13   1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:29   1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:21   1st stage landing burn begins
00:07:38   1st stage landing
00:08:31   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:50:52   2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:50:56   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
00:54:01   JUBA deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:54:04   NinjaSat deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:54:23   DJIBOUTI-1A deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:54:33   VERONIKA deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:54:41   ELLIOT deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:54:44   Platero deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:54:59   MANTIS deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:55:04   OrbAstro-TR1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:55:08   VANGUARD deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:55:21   Observer-1A deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:55:27   Barry-1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:55:28   IRIS-C2 deploys, manifested by Maverick Space Systems
00:55:53   Platform 5 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:56:29   BRO-10 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:56:40   LEMUR 2 DILIGHTFUL deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:56:58   Foxconn PEARL-1C deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:57:14   LEMUR 2 GOOD-VIBES deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:57:15   Outpost Mission 2 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:57:25   LEMUR 2 SANITA-VERTRA deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:58:30   LEMUR 2 THE-CLEANER deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:58:40   BRO-11 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:59:00   Plan – S / Connecta T3.2 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:59:01   Observer-1A deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:59:02   Hello Test 1 & 2 deploy, manifested by Momentus
00:59:04   First Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
00:59:10   Plan – S / Connecta T3.1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:59:13   Picacho deploys, manifested by Momentus
00:59:22   Foxconn PEARL-1H deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
00:59:39   Second Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
00:59:40   JinjuSat-1 deploys, manifested by Momentus
01:00:20   OMNI-LER1 deploys, manifested by Maverick Space Systems
01:00:26   Protométhée-1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:00:37   LEMUR 2 MARAPAMASM deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:00:43   GENMAT-1 deploys, manifested by Maverick Space Systems
01:00:58   Third Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:01:40   Fourth Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:01:47   Fifth Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:01:54   Sixth Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:01:57   LEMUR 2 MANGO2A deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:02:06   Seventh Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:02:15   Eighth Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:02:17   Ninth Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:02:23   LEMUR 2 MANGO2B deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:03:08   10th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:03:21   11th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:03:31   12th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:03:58   13th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:04:09   14th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:04:29   Aman-1 deploys, manifested via Momentus
01:04:48   15th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:05:10   16th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:05:23   17th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:05:34   18th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:05:41   19th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:05:56   20th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:06:09   21st Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:06:19   22nd Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:07:00   23rd Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:08:01   24th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:08:12   25th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:08:49   26th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:09:01   27th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:10:01   28th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:10:12   29th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:12:09   30th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:12:21   31st Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:13:29   32nd Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:14:11   33rd Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:14:23   34th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:15:05   Tiger-6 deploys, manifested by SEOPS
01:15:10   ÆTHER-2 deploys, manifested by Kepler Communications
01:15:17   Tiger-5 deploys, manifested by SEOPS
01:15:31   35th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:15:36   ÆTHER-1 deploys, manifested by Kepler Communications
01:15:38   Heron Mark II deploys, manifested by SEOPS
01:15:42   Impulse-1, deploys manifested by Impulse Space
01:16:10   36th Flock 4Q deploys, manifested by Planet
01:16:30   Umbra-08 deploys, manifested by Umbra Lab
01:16:32   1st ICEYE satellite deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:17:16   Umbra-07 deploys, manifested by Umbra Lab
01:17:22   2nd ICEYE satellite deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:17:54   SPIP deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:18:16   3rd ICEYE satellite deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:20:20   KAFASat deploys, manifested by SEOPS
01:23:59   4th ICEYE satellite deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
01:24:04   Pelican-1 deploys, manifested by Planet
01:24:29   ION SCV-013 Ultimate Hugo deploys, manifested by D-Orbit
01:25:16   spacevan – 001 deploys, manifested by Exotrail
01:25:31   FalconSAT-X deploys, manifested by US Air Force Academy

10)  Orbit destination:  Sun-synchronous orbit.  97.48 degree inclination.  ~515 x 530 kilometer altitude.

\uD83D\uDD38BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR RON BARON SAYS IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS, SPACEX WILL BE WORTH $250 BLN TO $300 BLN- CNBC INTERVIEW

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) November 10, 2023

\uD83D\uDD38BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR RON BARON NOTES BY 2030, SPACEX COULD BE WORTH SOMEWHERE AROUND $500B

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) November 10, 2023

With the naked eye, it was pretty awesome.

Boost back burn, entry burn , and just a tad of the landing burn (tree on the horizon blocked it).
Nice crisp double sonic boom too !

This may be an example.  It is the third to last being deployed.

Impulse-1 is another OTV:

01:15:42   Impulse-1, deploys manifested by Impulse Space

Ya, I saw all of it. The picture I posted was taken with my phone. Unfortunately a light in the parking lot kinda ruined it, that's what caused the orange tint and line you see there.

That is pretty neat! Thanks

SpaceX went to Twitter only several months ago.

Liftoff

Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/5Jetaif7cI

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 11, 2023

Booster landing

Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on Landing Zone 4 pic.twitter.com/Vl9WAOoTY4

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 11, 2023

Thanks American People.  I can't keep up with the pace anymore.

Falcon has delivered over 1000 tons to orbit this year, a world record https://t.co/ieJFOeaAdY

Elon Musk  (@elonmusk) November 11, 2023

This is significantly more than any country has launched with their entire rocket fleet in a year. Second is peak Soviet Union at ~500 tons.

For a present day comparison, the rest of the world has delivered ~250 tons to orbit so far this year, mostly by China.

Elon Musk  (@elonmusk) November 11, 2023

Watch Falcon 9 launch our ninth dedicated rideshare mission to orbit https://t.co/ZQ85bsZZWp

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 11, 2023

Mission:   Falcon 9, O3b mPower 5 & 6

1)  Mission Description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the third pair of O3b mPOWER broadband internet satellites into Medium Earth Orbit for SES of Luxembourg. The satellites, built by Boeing, will provide internet services over most of the populated world, building on SES’s O3b network. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land the drone ship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ in the Atlantic Ocean."    SpaceFlightNow source

2)  Launch window:   4:08 - 5:37 PM EST (12 November 2023).  

3)  Launch site:   SLC-40,  Florida

4)  Launch direction:    Easterly

5)  Webcast viewing options:







6)  Observation comments:    

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.


Gav Cornwell@SpaceOffshore.  Departure! ASOG droneship is underway from Port Canaveral to support the mPOWER 5 & 6 mission! Tug Crosby Skipper towing.

b.  Satellites:


Source:  SES


Source:  SES



c.  Ready for launch:


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

d.  Navigation Warning:


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)
00:02:27   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:31   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:38   2nd stage engine starts
00:03:19   Fairing deployment
00:06:34   1st stage entry burn start
00:06:57   1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:51   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:08:19   1st stage landing burn start
00:08:43   1st stage landing
00:26:57   2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:27:30   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:56:46   2nd stage engine starts (SES-3)
01:57:16   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-3)
02:00:18   First O3b mPOWER satellite deploys
02:07:18   Second O3b mPOWER satellite deploys

10)  Orbit insertion:  Medium Earth orbit transfer.

Watch Falcon 9 launch the @SES_Satellites O3b mPOWER mission to orbit https://t.co/SmXCz0Ly23

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 12, 2023

That really is amazing.   You should try it from a dark site and use a tripod to see how well it works.  If it is stacking photos, then maybe a lot more of shorter duration.

Mission:   Falcon 9, Starlink 6-28

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:   11:00 PM EST (17 November 2023).   Backup opportunities available until 2:59 a.m. ET on Saturday, November 18

3)  Launch site:   SLC-40,  Florida

4)  Launch direction:  Southeast

5)  Webcast viewing option:

Look for a livestream here.

6)  Observation comments:     None

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.


Gav Cornwell@SpaceOffshore.  Just Read the Instructions droneship is underway from Port Canaveral to support the upcoming Starlink 6-28 mission. Tug Signet Titan towing.

b.  Satellites:  Previously provided.

c.  Ready for launch:

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)
00:02:26 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30 1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:36 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:03:08 Fairing deployment
00:06:10 1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:33 1st stage entry burn ends
00:08:04 1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:27 1st stage landing
00:08:40 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:09 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:11 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:05:27 Starlink satellites deploy

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

Looks like it's delayed for a couple of hours?

Starlink 6-28 launched at 12:05 AM on 18 November 2023.

SpaceX video rebroadcast here.

Mission:  Falcon 9, Starlink 7-7

1)  Mission description:  "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink Version 2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean." Source

2)  Launch window:    10:33 PM PST  (19 November 2023).  

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

4)  Launch direction:   South southeasterly

5)  Webcast viewing options:



6)  Observation comments:    None

7)  Launch preparations:

a.  Boats heading out.

Debra C + OCISLY departed PoLB on Nov 14 @ 6pm PT / 9pm ET
Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

b.  Satellites:  See previous Starlink discussions.

c.  Ready for launch:

d.  Navigation warning:


Source:  NASASpaceFlight.com

8)  First stage return/ocean recovery/disposal:    Drone ship OCISLY

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)
00:02:27   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:36   2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:03:04   Fairing deployment
00:06:24   1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:44   1st stage entry burn ends
00:08:10   1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:31   1st stage landing
00:08:39   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:53:34   2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:53:36   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:02:37   Starlink satellites deploy

10)  Orbit destination:  286 x 297 kilometers, 53 degree inclination

Is SpaceX really doing 3 launches in a ~24-hour time period? 2 F9's and the Starship 2nd test?

There's a Starlink launch tonight from CA. The Starship launched this morning from TX. Was there another launch yeasterday?

Looks like starship debris re entered north of the bvi.

Debris was picked up in multiple weather radars, notably San Juan's online weather radar.

The launch checked alot of spacex's goal boxes. Too bad it didn't make it to Hawaii, granted 24,000kph isn't anything to slouch at.

Yep, a Starlink mission launched just after midnight EST today (Nov. 18).

Starlink 7-7 was delayed one day to 19 November 2023.