Update January 30: The Italian satellite launch has been scrubbed once again, this time due to a cruise liner appearing in the hazard area close to the launch site. The launch is now scheduled for Monday, January 31 at 6:11 p.m. ET (3:11 p.m. PT).
SpaceX will launch an Italian satellite on Monday in a mission that has already suffered several delays due to bad weather, as well as the appearance of a cruise liner in the hazard area. Conditions at the launch site in Florida are looking promising for Monday, so we’ve got the details on how to watch the launch.
Typically for SpaceX, various parts of the rocket are being re-used from previous missions. “The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously supported the launch of Arabsat-6A and STP-2. After stage separation, Falcon 9 will return to Earth and land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station,” SpaceX writes. “One half of the fairings supporting this mission previously supported Transporter-1, Transporter-2, and one Starlink mission, and the other half previously supported SAOCOM 1B, Transporter-2, and one Starlink mission. ”
What to expect from the launch
SpaceX will use one of its Falcon 9 rockets launched from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to carry an Earth observation satellite into orbit. The mission for the Italian Space Agency will launch a COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation 2 satellite to add to the COSMO-SkyMed satellite constellation.
A Starlink launch has also been pushed back to allow for the schedule changes. This will now likely launch on Tuesday, though SpaceX is yet to confirm this.
How to watch the launch
SpaceX will livestream the launch on Monday, so you can watch along at home. The livestream will cover final launch preparations, liftoff, ascent and first stage separation, second stage ignition, fairing deployment, and payload separation. In addition, it will show the entry burn and catching of the first stage.
Coverage begins 15 minutes before launch, so just before 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) on Monday, January 31. You can watch the livestream either by heading to SpaceX’s YouTube page or by using the video embedded at the top of this page.
