SpaceX launching 57 satellites
August 18, 2020
By Chris Forrester
SpaceX is targeting August 18th at 10:31 am EDT (14.31 UTC) for launch of its eleventh Starlink mission, which will include 57 Starlink satellites.
It will also carry three of Planet’s SkySats as extra cargo.
Falcon 9 will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported the Telstar 18 VANTAGE mission in September 2018, the Iridium-8 mission in January 2019, and three separate Starlink missions in May 2019, January 2020, and June 2020.
Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9’s fairing previously flew on the fourth launch of Starlink.
Planet’s SkySats will deploy sequentially beginning about 12 and a half minutes after lift-off, and the Starlink satellites will deploy approximately 46 minutes after lift-off.