Second Stage Burn Complete
The SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage completed its second burn, and in just a few minutes the Sentinel-6B spacecraft will separate from the rocket.
NASA Launch Manager Gives ‘Go’ for Launch
The NASA launch manager, Tim Dunn, has just given a “go” for launch for the Sentinel-6B satellite.
This will be the third flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission. Launch is coming up momentarily.
First Stage Fueling Begins
Mission managers polled “go” to begin fueling the SpaceX Falcon 9 with just under 40 minutes remaining until launch. Rocket Grade Kerosene, or RP1, now is loading into the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket first stage booster, while liquid oxygen, or LOX, is loading into the rocket’s first stage. These propellants will power the stage’s nine Merlin engines. Propellant loading for the second stage will begin shortly.
The first stage will propel the second stage and the Sentinel-6B satellite to its designed location before returning to Earth, where SpaceX plans to recover it at Landing Zone 4.