Launch Thread: SpaceX Falcon 9 - Starlink-L26 + Capella SAR + Tyvak-0130

No.13136347 ViewReplyOriginalReport
The bobndoug booster lives on edition

Livestream: https://youtu.be/tdgg_qwj-hI
Launch window: Saturday, May 15 for 6:54 PM EDT / 22:54 UTC (instantaneous)

Probability of violating weather constraints: 30% (https://www.patrick.spaceforce.mil/Portals/14/Weather/Falcon%209%20Starlink-L26%20L-0%20Day%20Forecast%20-%2015%20May%20Launch.pdf?ver=sX8hwi_22D92GZVaLDgfPQ%3d%3d)
Launch vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9 with first stage B1058.8 (prior launches: DEMO-2, ANASIS-II, Starlink-L12, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Starlink-L20, Starlink-L23)
Launch pad: Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), Kennedy Space Center, Florida
First stage landing: On autonomous spaceport droneship "Of Course I Still Love You"
Fairings: "One half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously supported the SXM-7 mission, and the other previously supported the NROL-108 mission."
Payload: 52 Starlink satellites + Capella Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite + Tyvak-0130 (optical spectrum astronomy observation satellite)
Payload mass & deployment orbit: ~15,600 kg (~260 kg / Starlink sat); 261 x 278 km @ ~53°
TLE: https://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/supplemental/starlink-V1.0-26.txt

>https://www.spacex.com/launches/
>https://www.starlink.com
>https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/starlink-v1-0.htm
>https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/14/two-hitchhiker-smallsats-to-accompany-spacexs-next-starlink-mission-into-orbit/

Launch viewing guide for Florida:
>http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.html
>https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events/events-calendar/see-a-rocket-launch#LaunchViewingTips

SpaceX twitter: https://twitter.com/SpaceX

>117th Falcon 9 flight, 77th landing, 60th reflight of a 1st stage booster
>15th SpaceX orbital launch of 2021