SpaceX may conduct two launches in one day on August 30th, may also make the first polar orbital launch from Florida since 1962

Outside The Beltway
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One launch will be at 10:08 am, the second at 7:19 pm. The second launch is the one that will go to a polar orbit from Florida for the first time since 1962. Since 1962, all polar orbital launches have gone from Vandenburg.

From spaceflightnow.com:

Aug. 30Falcon 9 • Starlink 11

Launch time: 1408 GMT (10:08 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 12th batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 11. Delayed from Aug. 29. [Aug. 25]

Aug. 30Falcon 9 • SAOCOM 1B

Launch time: 2319 GMT (7:19 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SAOCOM 1B satellite for CONAE, Argentina’s space agency. SAOCOM 1B is the second of two SAOCOM 1-series Earth observation satellites designed to provide radar imagery to help emergency responders and monitor the environment, including the collection of soil moisture measurements. Delayed from 4th Quarter of 2019, January and February. This mission was originally scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Delayed from March 30 due to coronavirus pandemic. Delayed from Aug. 27 in ripple effect from Delta 4-Heavy/NROL-44 delay. [Aug. 27]

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The Starlink Mission was cancelled this morning due to weather.

The SAOCOM mission is still on for 7:18 pm, but weather is borderline due to a heavy cloud deck.

This will be the first polar orbital mission since 1962 from Florida.

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Weather just went GO at about T-3:00.

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Nominal orbital insertion. Successful landing of the booster back at Cape Canaveral.

Just awaiting satellite deployment in a few minutes.

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SAOCOM satellite successfully deployed.

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There are two ride-share satellites that will deploy at T+1 hour or slight under 45 minutes from now.

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The two ride-share satellites both just successfully deployed, bringing to a close the first polar orbital launch from Florida in 58 years.

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LOL and main rocket landed back on the pad.

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:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

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BTW, the reason we have not launched polar orbital missions from Florida since 1962.

On November 30, 1960, a Thor-Able rocket Thor-Ablestar (predecessor of the Delta rocket family) proceeding south on a polar orbital mission exploded, with a piece dropping on Cuba and killing Rufina the Cow. In response, we phased out polar orbital missions from Florida, sending them to Vandenburg instead.

NASA now feels confident enough in Falcon 9 to allow these polar missions to resume from Florida and today’s launch was a critical milestone in that regard.

(Note: It was a Thor-Ablestar, the second stage being an enlarged version of the earlier Able upper stage.)

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It’s all fun and games until someone loses a cow.

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Cuba sent the recovered pieces of the rocket to China, which is estimated to have saved China at least 2 or 3 years on developing their rocket program.

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Udder humiliation.