Skynet 4-22-23 “Blueberries on Mars!” 9PM CT |

Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.

Discussion Topic of the Evening.

“Blueberries on Mars”:

https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/5991640jpg

https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/6944/martian-blueberries/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_spherules

Waz Up

Space Exploration and Space History

Astronaut Birthdays

April 16, 1956: David Brown (STS-107)
April 16, 1959: Michael Barratt (Exp 19/20; STS-133; scheduled pilot for SpaceX Crew 8 in 2024)
April 20, 1955: Don Pettit (Expedition 6, STS-126, Expedition 30/31)

Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week

TBD

Space Launches For This Week

Space Coast Launches

Upcoming Rocket Launch List

Space Flight Now Launch Schedule

Launch Schedule

April Falcon 9 • Starlink 5-9

Launch time: TBD

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

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Updated: April 04

April 25 Falcon 9 • Starlink 3-5

Launch time: Approx. 1302 GMT (9:02 a.m. EDT; 6:02 a.m. PDT)

Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

Updated: April 18

April 26 Falcon Heavy • ViaSat 3 Americas

Launch time: 2324-0018 GMT on 26th/27th (7:24-8:18 p.m. EDT on 26th)

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

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the ViaSat 3 Americas broadband communications satellite. ViaSat 3 Americas is the first of at least three new-generation Boeing-built geostationary satellites for ViaSat. A small communications satellite named Arcturus will launch as a secondary payload for Astranis. Delayed from 3rd Quarter and December 2022. Delayed from January, March 2023, April 8, April 18, and April 24.

Updated: April 18

TBD Delta 4-Heavy • NROL-68

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Space 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. This is the penultimate flight of a Delta 4 rocket. Delayed from March and April 20.

Updated: April 07

April 28 Falcon 9 • O3b mPOWER 3 & 4

Launch time: 2112 GMT (5:12 p.m. EDT)

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

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the second pair of O3b mPOWER broadband internet satellites into Medium Earth Orbit for SES of Luxembourg. The satellites, built by Boeing, will provide internet services over most of the populated world, building on SES’s O3b network. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from February and March.

Updated: March 28

April Falcon 9 • Starlink 6-3

Launch time: TBD

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

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of second-generation Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Updated: April 01

April Falcon 9 • Starlink 2-9

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink internet satellites. This mission will deploy the Starlink satellites into a high-inclination orbit inclined 70 degrees to the equator. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

Updated: March 21

May 4 Vulcan Centaur • Peregrine

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its inaugural flight with the Peregrine commercial lunar lander for Astrobotic. The Peregrine robotic lander will carry multiple experiments, scientific instruments, and tech demo payloads for NASA and other customers. The mission will also launch two prototype satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband constellation. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC2S configuration with two GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a short-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from mid-2022 and late 2022. Delayed from 1st Quarter 2023.

Updated: March 21

Early May Falcon 9 • OneWeb & Iridium Next

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 15 spare satellites for OneWeb’s first-generation global internet network and one prototype for OneWeb’s Gen2 second-generation network. Five spare satellites for Iridium’s voice and data relay fleet will also launch on this mission. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg.

Updated: March 21

May Long March 7 • Tianzhou 6

Launch time: TBD

Launch site: Wenchang, China

A Chinese Long March 7 rocket will launch the Tianzhou 6 resupply ship to dock with the Chinese space station. The automated cargo craft is the fifth resupply freighter for the Chinese space station.