Author Topic: Starlink mission scheduled for next week at Kennedy Space Center  (Read 457 times)

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Space News by Sandra Erwin — April 9, 2020

45th Space Wing commander Brig. Gen. Schiess said the launch will be carried out with a lean crew and social distancing measures.

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the company’s sixth batch of Starlink satellites on April 16 from Kennedy Space Center. The launch will be carried out with a lean crew and social distancing measures, said Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess, commander of the 45th Space Wing that oversees the Florida space coast ranges.

During a call with reporters April 9, Schiess had to defend the decision to allow the launch to go forward amid the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, the U.S. Space Force announced it would postpone until late June the launch of a GPS 3 satellite — also on a Falcon 9 — that was scheduled for late April to minimize the potential of COVID-19 exposure to the launch crew and operators.

Schiess said that under the current health emergency, the decision to support a launch is considered on a case-by-case basis. The Starlink launch is less labor intensive than a national security mission like GPS, he said. With a leaner crew it’s easier to implement physical separation at launch facilities, said Schiess.

More: https://spacenews.com/starlink-mission-scheduled-for-next-week-at-kennedy-space-center/