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Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.

Discussion Topic of the Evening.

LIGO–Virgo spots its most massive black hole merger so far

LIGO–Virgo spots its most massive black hole merger so far

Waz Up

Space Exploration and Space History 

Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week

Constellation Aquila

Space Launches For This Week

Space Coast Launches

Upcoming Rocket Launch List

Space Flight Now Launch Schedule

Launch Schedule

September

Delta 4-Heavy • NROL-44

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. Delayed from June and Aug. 26. Scrubbed on Aug. 27 by pneumatics issue. Aborted at T-minus 3 seconds on Aug. 29. [Aug. 29]

Sept. 10/11

Rocket 3.1 • Test Flight

Launch window: 0200-0430 GMT on 11th (10:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m. EDT on (10th/11th)

Launch site: Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak Island, Alaska

A commercial small satellite launch vehicle developed by Astra will make its first orbital launch attempt. Astra says there will be no payloads on this test flight. Scrubbed on Aug. 2 due to upper level winds and boat in range. Scrubbed on Aug. 4 and Aug. 6. Delayed from Aug. 30 due to poor weather forecast. [Aug. 28]

September

Falcon 9 • Starlink 12

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 13th batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 12. [Aug. 7]

NET September

Electron • STP-27RM

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: Launch Complex 2, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, Virginia

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch on its first mission from a new launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch customer is the U.S. Air Force, and the mission will launch an experimental mission for the Space Test Program called Monolith with a space weather instrument. The Monolith mission will demonstrate the ability of a small satellite to support large aperture payloads. Delayed from 2nd Quarter of 2019. Delayed from August 2020. [Aug. 4]

September

Falcon 9 • Starlink 13

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 14th batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 13. [Aug. 23]

Sept. 24

Soyuz • Gonets M

Launch window: TBD

Launch site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia

A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch three Gonets M communications satellites. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1b configuration with a Fregat upper stage. Moved forward from Sept. 29. [Aug. 24]

Sept. 29/30

Antares • NG-14

Launch time: 0226 GMT on 30th (10:26 p.m. EDT on 29th)

Launch site: Pad 0A, Wallops Island, Virginia

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch the 15th Cygnus cargo freighter on the 14th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The mission is known as NG-14. The rocket will fly in the Antares 230 configuration, with two RD-181 first stage engines and a Castor 30XL second stage. Moved forward from October. Delayed from Aug. 31 and Sept. 7. Moved forward from Oct. 2. [Aug. 7]

Sept. 30/Oct. 1

Falcon 9 • GPS 3 SV04

Launch period: 0000-0400 GMT on 1st (8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. EDT on 30th/1st)

Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s fourth third-generation navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The satellite is built by Lockheed Martin. Delayed from October, December, May, July and August. [Aug.

Recent Astronomical Discoveries 

Peculiar Planetary System Around 3 Orion Stars

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200903145028.htm

Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.

All times are “local” (Dallas) time.

ISS 

https://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST

Sept. 11

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=25544&mjd=59103.4773012925&type=V

Sept. 14

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=25544&mjd=59106.4450347228&type=V

X-37B

https://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=45606&lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST

Sept. 10

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=45606&mjd=59102.4533834785&type=V

Sept. 12

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=45606&mjd=59104.4394755508&type=V

North Korean Satellite

https://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=39026&lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST

Sept. 14

https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=33.0462&lng=-96.9942&loc=Lewisville&alt=0&tz=CST&satid=39026&mjd=59106.4934774637&type=V