SpaceX is preparing to send a specialized satellite-servicing spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40. The launch window for the MRV-MEP Mission opens at 5:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday and closes at 9:04 p.m. ET, with a backup attempt Wednesday during the same window if needed.
The payload belongs to SpaceLogistics, a Northrop Grumman company. It consists of a Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) and three Mission Extension Pods (MEPs). The pods act as fuel backpacks that the MRV — equipped with a robotic arm — attaches directly to satellites running low on propellant, potentially adding years to those satellites' operational lives. The MRV can also perform repairs and attach new hardware to damaged spacecraft.
The 45th Weather Squadron is giving the launch a 75 percent chance of favorable liftoff conditions, with cumulus and anvil cloud rules cited as the only potential concerns.
The mission also marks the end of an era for Falcon 9 booster B1069, which will be retired after completing more than 30 missions — a résumé that includes CRS-24, two SES satellite deployments, a OneWeb mission, a Eutelsat launch, and 27 Starlink flights. Rather than landing for reuse, B1069 will be expended at sea.
This story is based on reporting by Spectrum News 13.
