This morning, Saturday, November 12, there’s a chance to catch an early SpaceX launch as the company sends two communications satellites into orbit. The weather is looking good for the launch at 90% favorable, and the launch will be livestreamed so you can watch along at home.
Below we’ve got all the details on how to tune in and catch the event.
What to expect from the launch
The Galaxy 31 and Galaxy 32 satellites will be launched using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As is typical for SpaceX launches, the Falcon 9 booster is being reused from previous missions including the first crewed demonstration test of the Dragon. It also previously flew on the RADARSAT constellation mission, the SXM-7 mission, and 10 Starlink missions.
The two satellites are for the company IntelSat, which operates a large fleet of communications satellites. The satellites were built by the company Maxar, which is known for its satellite imagery, and which used its 1300-class platform — one of the popular models of communications satellite.
“Galaxy 31 (G-31) and Galaxy 32 (G-32) are the next satellites in Intelsat’s comprehensive Galaxy fleet refresh plan, a new generation of technology that will provide Intelsat Media customers in North America with high-performance media distribution capabilities and unmatched penetration of cable headends,” IntelSat writes on its website.
The satellites will be launched into geostationary orbit, with separation of the two satellites expected between 30 and 40 minutes after liftoff.
How to watch the launch
The launch is scheduled for 11:06 a.m. ET (8:06 a.m. PT) on Saturday, November 12. The launch will be livestreamed by SpaceX, with coverage beginning around 15 minutes before launch — so that’s just before 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT).
To watch the livestream, you can either use the video embedded near the top of this page or head to SpaceX’s YouTube page for the launch.
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