Double Launch Day: SpaceX and ULA Rockets Soar from Cape Canaveral

Back-to-Back Missions in Under 5 Hours

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station kicked off the week with a historic doubleheader, hosting two orbital rocket launches within just 4 hours and 46 minutes on Monday, June 23.

• 1:58 a.m. – SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40, deploying 27 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.

• 6:54 a.m. – United Launch Alliance (ULA) followed with an Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41, carrying 54 satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper.

Starlink and Project Kuiper: Expanding Satellite Constellations

The Starlink launch added to a rapidly growing network, now totaling over 7,800 operational satellites, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. SpaceX’s mission used a Falcon 9 first-stage booster flying its 25th mission—a major milestone. After separation, the booster landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper also doubled its constellation—from 27 to 54 satellites—with this second launch, aiming to compete in the global internet-from-space market.

Scrubbed Launches Rescheduled Successfully

Both launches had been delayed due to technical issues:

• The Falcon 9 launch was aborted on June 22 with only 58 seconds remaining due to an issue with the autonomous flight termination system.

• The Atlas V scrubbed its initial attempt on June 16 because of an elevated booster engine purge temperature.

Despite these challenges, both missions lifted off successfully in their rescheduled windows.

Atlas V “The Bruiser” Flies Again

The ULA Atlas V configuration used—nicknamed “The Bruiser”—included five solid rocket boosters and has now flown 16 times since 2006. The rocket previously launched high-profile missions like:

• New Horizons to Pluto

• Juno to Jupiter

• Multiple national security satellites

• The first Kuiper mission in April 2024

What’s Next on the Eastern Range?

Up next for the Eastern Range is another Starlink launch from SpaceX:

• Launch Window: Wednesday, 12:33 p.m. to 5:03 p.m. ET

• Location: Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

• Trajectory: Northeast

• Sonic Booms: Not expected

• Live Coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff

ULA’s next mission is USSF-106, which will mark the first Vulcan rocket launch for the Space Force—date TBD.