Overview
- SpaceX readied the Starlink 10-38 mission from Cape Canaveral to deploy 29 V2 Mini internet satellites into low Earth orbit.
- The Falcon 9 first stage, booster B1069, was set for its 31st flight with a landing attempt on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic.
- SpaceX recently retired the East Coast drone ship Just Read the Instructions and reassigned it to move hardware for the company’s Starship program.
- From Vandenberg, a separate rideshare planned a return-to-launch-site landing at the base, a rarer recovery method than an ocean drone-ship landing and the first California try since January.
- The Vandenberg mission included multiple satellites such as South Korea’s CAS500-2 and had a 37-minute window with an FAA-listed backup opportunity.