GO! - SpaceX - Falcon 9 - BlueBird 8-10 - SLC-40 - Cape Canaveral SFS - Space Affairs Live

Launch Date: June 17, 2026 Launch Time: 2:39 a.m. EDT, 0639 UTC, 08:39 CEST Launch Window: Open until 4:15 a.m. EDT Launch Site: SLC-40 - Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Targeted Orbit: LEO (Low Earth Orbit) Launch Inclination: Northeast Launch Status: Scheduled and announced Mission: BlueBird 8 - 10 Launch Provider: SpaceX Launch Contractor AST SpaceMobile Launcher System: Falcon 9 (Booster 1077 - Turnaround 27 days) Flight for the Booster: 29 Previous Flights of the Booster: 28 - Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and 21 Starlink missions Droneship: A Shortfall Of Gravitas Price: $74 million (without payload) Diameter: 3,7 m Height: 70 meters Payload to Orbit: 22,800 LEO / 8,300 GTO Lift-Off Thrust: 7,607 kilonewtons Fairing: Diameter 5,2 meters / Height 13 meters Stages: 2 SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, June 17 for launch of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 8-10 mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 2:39 a.m. EDT with additional opportunities available until 4:15 a.m. EDT. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Thursday, June 18 during a launch window that opens at 2:19 a.m. EDT. This will be the 29th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, TD7, and 21 Starlink missions. After stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. You will find more information about the trajectory and data on the day of the launch here: https://flightclub.io/live Countdown Hr/Min/Sec Event 00:38:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load 00:35:00 RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins 00:35:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins 00:16:00 2nd stage LOX loading begins 00:07:00 Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch 00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks 00:01:00 Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins 00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch 00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start 00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff Launch, Landing, and Deployment All Times Approximate Hr/Min/Sec Event 00:01:13 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) 00:02:27 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) 00:02:31 1st and 2nd stages separate 00:02:39 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1) 00:03:22 Fairing deployment 00:06:16 1st stage entry burn begins 00:06:39 1st stage entry burn ends 00:08:02 1st stage landing burn begins 00:08:30 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) 00:08:32 1st stage landing 00:46:00 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2) 00:46:06 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2) 00:54:27 BlueBird 8 deploys 00:59:47 BlueBird 9 deploys 01:05:07 BlueBird 10 deploys