SpaceX Launches Two Advanced Earth-Imaging Satellites

SpaceX is set to launch two Earth-imaging satellites, WorldView Legion 3 and 4, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 15. This mission is part of an effort to expand the WorldView Legion constellation for Maxar Technologies, which aims to consist of six satellites. The first two satellites of the constellation were launched in May from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Once operational, these satellites will significantly enhance Maxar Intelligence's capacity to gather high-resolution, multispectral imagery.

The launch, scheduled for 9 a.m. EDT, has an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions, with a backup window set for Friday in case of delays. The Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage booster, B1076, will be undertaking its 16th mission and is expected to return for a landing at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral. The mission will be live-streamed on SpaceX's X account. This launch is part of a busy period for SpaceX, which has conducted nearly 80 missions in 2024, over 70% of which were Starlink deployments.