Update 11:50 p.m. EDT: Upper level winds force SpaceX to scrub the Starlink 6-22 mission.
SpaceX is kicking off the second week of October with a planned pair of back-to-back Falcon 9 launches, lifting off from both of its Space Force-based launch pads.
However, at about T-23 seconds, a hold was called by the launch director. Minutes later, SpaceX said they were standing down from the Starlink 6-22 launch attempt from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida due to strong upper-level winds.
SpaceX had been targeting a liftoff at 11:38 p.m. EDT (0338 UTC) to send up 22 Starlink V2 Mini satellites up to low Earth orbit. The launch had already been delayed twice as pre-launch preparations had fallen behind schedule.
The scrub is followed less than 4.5 hours later by the Starlink 7-4 mission, which aims to launch at 12:43 a.m. PDT (3:43 a.m. EDT, 0743 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Because of its trajectory, its payload consists of a slightly smaller load of 21 Starlink V2 Mini satellites.
Both mission will feature Falcon 9 rockets. The two first-stage boosters, B1067 at SLC-40 and B1063 at SLC-4E, were each aiming to launch for a 14th time.
The Starlink 6-22 is now looking to launch no earlier than Monday, Oct. 9, at 8:42 p.m. EDT (0042 UTC). Meanwhile, the Starlink 7-4 has four additional launch times from 1:30-4:06 a.m. PDT (4:30-8:06 a.m. EDT, 0730-1206 UTC), if needed during its current launch window.
Busier every year
SLC-40 continues to be a workhorse launch pad for SpaceX. Following the Starlink 6-22 mission, the company will have used it to launch a total of 148 times, a majority of the 263 Falcon 9 launches that will have taken place by that point.
SpaceX is also greatly ramping up activity at Vandenberg. Following the Starlink 7-4 mission, it will account for 21 out of the 22 industry launches from VSFB so far in 2023. The other mission was Firefly Aerospace’s Victus Nox launch in September.
Commentary for the Starlink 7-4 mission will be available in Launchpad Live on our YouTube channel.
