Globalstar is getting ready to replenish its low Earth orbit satellite constellation with a Saturday night launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The mission, dubbed Globalstar 2R Launch 1, will send a batch of eight satellites into orbit with a deployment sequence beginning more than 56 minutes after liftoff and lasting less than 10 minutes.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:12 p.m. EDT (0112 UTC), less than 40 minutes prior to another planned Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.
The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90 percent chance for favorable weather at liftoff. Meteorologists said there’s a chance for interference from cumulus and anvil clouds.
“Weak flow at the surface and high pressure over the Gulf will allow afternoon sea breeze formation to push isolated showers and thunderstorms inland through the evening hours,” launch weather officers wrote. “Lingering anvil and cumulus clouds will remain low risks throughout both launch opportunities.”
SpaceX will launch the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1090. This will be its 14th flight.
Less than eight minutes after liftoff, B1090 will target a landing back at Landing Zone 40, adjacent to the launch pad. If successful, this will be the fifth landing at this site and the 649th Falcon booster landing for SpaceX.
The mission Saturday night was publicly announced by Globalstar in the springtime. It said the launch was scheduled to happen on Sunday, May 17, but the flight was pulled to “allow more time for Globalstar teams to prepare the satellites for launch.”
The flight announcement came about a month after Amazon announced its intention to acquire Globalstar, which would allow the Amazon Leo to add direct-to-device capabilities to its constellation and compete with companies, like SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile in that domain.
“This launch represents another important step in sustaining and strengthening the infrastructure our customers rely on every day,” said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer, Globalstar, in a May 12 press release. “As we continue executing our long-term strategy, replenishing our existing constellation remains a critical part of delivering resilient satellite services around the world.”
In its latest earnings statement published Aug. 6, Globalstar said it would not be holding any further earnings calls or updates to its forward-looking guidance while the Amazon acquisition is pending. That deal is expected to close sometime in 2027.
