Today's SpaceX Starlink Launch of Satellites with "Visors" Scrubbed Due to Weather [Updated]

[20200708_160227 UTC: Update --martyb]

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1280891612088823808:

Standing down from today's mission due to weather; proceeding through the countdown until T-1 minute for data collection. Will announce a new target launch date once confirmed on the Range

Original story follows.

martyb writes:

SpaceX will try to launch Starlink satellites with "visors" on Tuesday:

The company will seek to launch 57 Starlink satellites, along with two Earth-observation satellites for BlackSky Global, on a Falcon 9 rocket at 11:59am ET on Tuesday (15:59 UTC) from Launch Complex-39A at Kennedy Space Center. The weather looks decent, with a 60-percent chance of favorable conditions at liftoff.

[...] Because SpaceX plans to launch thousands more of these satellites as it builds out a constellation of beacons in low-Earth orbit to provide global Internet service from space, astronomers have understandably begun to raise concerns. They worry both about the night sky for backyard astronomers, as well as sophisticated observatories in Chile, Mauna Kea, and elsewhere.

SpaceX has sought to address the problem, first by darkening the satellites to make them less reflective. Now, the company is taking a bigger step, developing a radio-transparent foam that will flip out from the satellites and prevent reflection.[Picture]

"This visor lays flat on the chassis during launch and deploys during satellite separation from Falcon 9," the company stated. "The visor prevents light from reflecting off of the diffuse antennas by blocking the light from reaching the antennas altogether. Not only does this approach avoid the thermal impacts from surface darkening the antennas, but it should also have a larger impact on brightness reduction."

All of the 57 Starlink satellites on board the Falcon 9 rocket will carry these "visor" sats for the first time.

Though not explicitly stated as such, given there is no stated "launch window", I'd assume this is an instantaneous launch: it launches at the stated time or not at all. It is also unclear at this time whether there will be an attempt at fairing recovery.

The launch will be live-streamed on YouTube starting approximately 15 minutes before scheduled launch time. According to the video's description:

SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, July 8 at 11:59 a.m. EDT, 15:59 UTC, for launch of its tenth Starlink mission, which will include 57 Starlink satellites and 2 satellites from BlackSky, a Spaceflight customer. Falcon 9 will lift off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, July 10 at 11:16 a.m. EDT, 15:16 UTC.

Falcon 9's first stage previously supported Crew Dragon's first demonstration mission to the International Space Station, launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, and the fourth and seventh Starlink missions. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9's first stage on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Previously:
(2020-06-26) SpaceX Starlink and Rideshare Launch Friday Postponed [Updates 2]
(2020-06-13) SpaceX Targeting Starlink + Ride-Share Launch SAT June 13 at 0521 EDT (0921 UTC)

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