On October 23, 2023, SpaceX is primed to conduct its record-setting 139th mission of the year, and enthusiasts can catch the action live. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a four-hour window opening at 9:30 p.m. EDT (01:30 GMT on October 24). SpaceX will stream the launch live on its website and social media platforms, including its X account, starting approximately 15 minutes before liftoff.
Today's launch will deliver the second and final satellite for the Spainsat Next Generation (NG) constellation, aimed at providing military-grade secure communications to the Spanish Armed Forces and its partners, as reported by SatNews. The first satellite of the Spainsat NG constellation successfully lifted off in January aboard another Falcon 9 rocket. If all proceeds as planned, the Falcon 9's upper stage will deploy the Spainsat NG-2 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit approximately 36 minutes post-liftoff.
In a deviation from recent missions, the Falcon 9's first stage will not return to Earth for a safe landing. This marks a unique circumstance for Falcon 9 missions, as the booster is operating in expendable mode today. SpaceX has indicated that this mode is necessary to meet the additional performance requirements for delivering the Spainsat NG-2 payload into orbit. Notably, this particular mission will be the 22nd flight for this booster, further exemplifying SpaceX's commitment to innovative space exploration.
With today's launch, SpaceX will officially mark the 139th launch of 2023, setting a new record for the company. Up until now, SpaceX has completed 133 Falcon 9 missions this year—also a record—along with five significant suborbital test flights of its ambitious Starship megarocket. This relentless pace underscores SpaceX's leadership in the aerospace industry and its ongoing efforts to expand space exploration capabilities.
Stay tuned for the live stream and witness history in the making as SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of space travel.
