SpaceX is scheduled to launch a new batch of Starlink satellites before dawn on Saturday, just ahead of an emergency Federal Aviation Administration directive that will restrict future commercial space launches to an overnight window.
The Starlink 10-51 mission is set to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 7:10 a.m. EST. Following a northeasterly trajectory from Florida’s Space Coast, the mission will utilize a Falcon 9 booster, B1069, on its 28th flight. This veteran rocket has previously launched missions including CRS-24, OneWeb Launch #15, and Eutelsat Hotbird 13F.
Approximately eight and a half minutes after launch, the booster is scheduled for an autonomous landing on the ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. A successful recovery would mark the 131st landing on this vessel and the 531st overall for SpaceX. The rocket’s upper stage will deploy 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites just over an hour into the flight.
This launch occurs just days before new FAA regulations take effect. Issued on Thursday, the emergency directive will limit all FAA-sanctioned commercial space launches and reentries to a window between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time, beginning at 6 a.m. EST on November 10.
This directive comes amid a government shutdown, which has also prompted U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to order a temporary 10 percent reduction in flights at 40 high-traffic airports. Notably, these include Orlando International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, the primary air hubs for Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg spaceports. When contacted for comment, the FAA provided an automated response citing its inability to handle routine media inquiries due to a lapse in funding.
The new launch curfew will significantly impact the cadence of upcoming missions. SpaceX has five more Starlink launches and the Transporter-15 rideshare mission scheduled between November 10 and 19. United Launch Alliance’s next attempt to launch the ViaSat-3 F2 mission will also fall under the new restrictions.
While SpaceX has the flexibility to reschedule its Starlink missions to comply with the nighttime window, specialized flights like Transporter-15, which targets a Sun-synchronous orbit, may require a special exemption.
Meanwhile, other launch providers expect less disruption. Rocket Lab stated that its operations from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand are unaffected, as they do not enter U.S. airspace, and anticipates “minimal impact” on launches from its facility in Virginia.
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