SpaceX set for launch of Turkish satellite, making way for last mission of 2021

Emre Kelly, Florida Today
·3 min read

Space is important to us and that’s why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

---

Note: Watch live coverage here.

---

A Turkish communications satellite is set for liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket this weekend, making way for Florida's last mission of the year just a few days later.

The 230-foot rocket is expected to soar into 80% "go" conditions at 10:58 p.m. Saturday, the opening of a 90-minute window at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40. A drone ship stationed east of Florida will host the booster's landing.

"A frontal boundary is forecast to approach from the northwest Saturday, with the onshore component to the wind becoming increasingly moist and unstable over the weekend," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said in a Friday report.

The weekend instability means a delay to Sunday, due to technical reasons or otherwise, would see conditions drop to 60% "go" with upper-level winds becoming moderately risky. As rockets travel thousands of miles an hour, slamming into upper-level winds at the wrong angle is akin to hitting a brick wall.

Falcon 9 and its upper stage are tasked with delivering Turksat 5B to geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above Earth where it will, according to Turkish officials, deliver multitudes more capacity than the country currently has access to. It will join 5A, which also flew from the Cape in January.

Expected 80% "go" conditions: Weather looks good for SpaceX launch of Turkish comms satellite this weekend

First domestically produced: Turkey selects SpaceX Falcon 9 and Florida for country's first domestic satellite

"Turksat 5B will increase Turkey's satellite and communications potential in the K band by 15 times," Adil Karaismailoglu, minister of transport and infrastructure, said in a pre-launch conference. "Compared to other satellites in its class, it will be 20 times more efficient."

5B will be the last of Turkey's outsourced satellites as the country moves satellite production to its own shores. 5A and 5B were both built by Airbus in France, but 6A and 6B will be entirely produced in Turkey before flying on Falcon 9 rockets no earlier than 2023.

"With our nationally produced satellites, we will become one of 10 countries capable of producing its own satellites," Karaismailoglu said.

An on-time launch Saturday means SpaceX teams just north of Launch Complex 40 will be able to proceed with prepping yet another Falcon 9 for liftoff early Tuesday, Dec. 21. An uncrewed Dragon capsule packed with thousands of pounds of supplies and science experiments will fly from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A at 5:06 a.m. that day, then autonomously fly to the International Space Station.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Note: Quotes in this story were translated from Turkish to English by the reporter.

Contact Emre Kelly at [email protected] or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.

Launch Saturday, Dec. 18

  • Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9

  • Mission: Turksat-5B communications satellite

  • Launch Time: 10:58 p.m. ET

  • Launch Window: To 12:28 a.m. ET

  • Launch Complex: 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

  • Trajectory: East

  • Landing: Drone ship

  • Weather: 80% "go"

Visit floridatoday.com/space at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, for real-time updates and video.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX set for launch of Turkish satellite, making way for 2021's last

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next