Name: Skynet 6A — Falcon 9 Block 5
Start: 2027-12-31T00:00:00Z
End: 2027-12-31T00:00:00Z
Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Question 1

What rocket is launching Skynet 6A?

Accepted Answer

Skynet 6A is launching on the Falcon 9 Block 5.

Question 2

Who is launching Skynet 6A?

Accepted Answer

Skynet 6A is being launched by SpaceX, a commercial launch provider founded in 2002.

Question 3

Where is Skynet 6A launching from?

Accepted Answer

Skynet 6A is launching from Unknown Pad at Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.

Question 4

What orbit is Skynet 6A heading to?

Accepted Answer

Skynet 6A is heading to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Question 5

Is the Falcon 9 Block 5 reusable?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the Falcon 9 Block 5 is designed to be reused, with boosters that can fly multiple missions.

Question 6

How many times has the Falcon 9 Block 5 flown?

Accepted Answer

The Falcon 9 Block 5 has launched 612 times to date, with 610 successful flights.

Question 7

What is the Skynet 6A mission?

Accepted Answer

The Skynet 6A gap-filler military communications satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space to cover the gap between the Britisch Skynet-5 network and its successor.

Skynet 6A was solesourced from Airbus Defence and Space in 2017, but was not fully funded until July 2020. Aibus will build the Skynet-6A satellite in the United Kingdom and arrange a 2025 launch. RAL Space, a U.K. national laboratory, will test the all-electric satellite at its facility in Harwell. Skynet-6A, based on the Eurostar-Neo platform, is expected to provide communications services for the British military until at least 2040.

Question 8

Where is Cape Canaveral Space Force Station?

Accepted Answer

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station sits on Florida's Atlantic coast, on the Eastern Range run by the U.S. Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45. It is the United States' busiest launch site and has been America's gateway to orbit since the 1950s.

Question 9

Which rockets launch from Cape Canaveral?

Accepted Answer

SpaceX flies Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40, and United Launch Alliance flies the Vulcan Centaur (and the retiring Atlas V) from Space Launch Complex 41.

Question 10

Is Cape Canaveral the same as the Kennedy Space Center?

Accepted Answer

No. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center are separate, neighbouring sites — Kennedy is on Merritt Island just to the north. Together they make up Florida's 'Space Coast'.

Question 11

Why do rockets launch from Cape Canaveral?

Accepted Answer

Its pads sit on the Eastern Range, letting rockets fly east out over the Atlantic toward the equatorial and geostationary orbits most commercial and national-security payloads need, away from populated land.

Question 12

Can you watch a launch from Cape Canaveral?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the Space Coast is one of the easiest places in the world to watch a launch from public land. Popular free spots include Playalinda Beach, Space View Park in Titusville, and Jetty Park at Port Canaveral.

Skynet 6A

Overview

Mission details

Launch Window

Unknown Pad

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Frequently asked questions