All 4 Landing Legs Retracted on 3x Flown SpaceX Falcon 9 as Team Targets 2nd 6x Flown Booster Launch Oct. 18: Photos

Stunning water reflecting view at dusk of 3x launched/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. Standing upright on ground pedestal after craning off OCISLY droneship. From the 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM

PORT CANAVERAL, FL – Following last Thursday’s (Oct. 8) stellar sunset return of the 3x flown and landed SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage from the 13th Starlink mission to Port Canaveral and Florida’s Space Coast atop the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ (OSICLY) droneship the crane crew hoisted the booster off the ship and onto land late Monday and then successfully retracted all 4 landing legs.

Stunning water reflecting nighttime view 3x launched/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. Standing upright on ground pedestal after craning off OCISLY droneship. From the 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Enjoy our twilight and nighttime photos of the stunning booster standing vertical on the ground pedestal with the quartet of landing legs fully retracted on Monday, Oct. 12. At the north cargo pier at Port Canaveral, FL.

UpClose view SpaceX Falcon booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. Standing upright. From the 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The ‘flight-proven’ Falcon 9 1st stage had originally launched on the 13th  mission carrying Starlink broadband internet satellites took place during the instantaneous window at 7:29 a.m. EDT  (1129 GMT) Tuesday morning, Oct. 6 from Launch Complex-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center – just a few minutes after sunrise.

Stunning nighttime view 3x launched/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. From 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off at 7:29 a.m. ET Oct. 6, 2020 from Launch Complex-39A from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 60 Starlink internet satellites to orbit. Credit: Jean Wright/spaceupclose.com

 

Meanwhile the SpaceX team is preparing to launch the 14th Starlink mission Sunday morning Oct. 18 with the next batch of 60 broadband internet satellites on the second ever 6th flown booster – once again from Launch Complex-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Liftoff of the 23 story tall single stick 6x recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 B1051.6 is slated for 8:25 a m. ET during an instantaneous launch window from Launch Complex-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Weather odds are forecast as 70% favorable at launch time.

Watch for our post launch story.

SpaceX completed a static fire test this morning Saturday Oct 17.

Worm logo still visible on side of recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1058.3 that previously flew on Demo-2 carrying NASA astronauts Behnken and Hurley to ISS in May 2020. Falcon 9 for 13th Starlink comsat launch stands vertical at Launch Complex-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for launch scrubbed from Sept. 17, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
NASA worm logo visibly remains intact on booster core from 3x launched/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. From 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

 

Watch Ken’s continuing reports about Starlink, Commercial Crew and Artemis and onsite for live reporting of upcoming and recent SpaceX and ULA launches including Demo-2, Starlink, X-37B, Solar Orbiter, Mars 2020 and more at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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Stunning water reflecting view at dusk of 3x launched/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. Standing upright on ground pedestal after craning off OCISLY droneship. From 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
UpClose view SpaceX Falcon booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. Standing upright. From the 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
UpClose view SpaceX Falcon booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. Standing upright. From the 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
Double treat: Spectators enjoy unprecedented double treat watching stellar sunset arrival of 3x launched/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage booster atop the OCISLY droneship towed by tug Finn Falgout that’s preceded by simultaneous return of fairing catcher ship GO Ms. Tree conducting sea recovery exercises along with SpaceX fleet sailing towards Jetty Park Pier into Port Canaveral channel after 6 p.m. ET on Oct. 8, 2020. From the 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

 

UpClose view hoisting cap atop SpaceX Falcon booster B1058.3 after all four landing legs fully retracted on Oct. 12, 2020 at Port Canaveral. Standing upright. From the 13th Starlink launch Oct. 6 on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

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Ken Kremer

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news. Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics. Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events.

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