Tweet link: https://x.com/ceaserg33/status/2107832235051098621

Welcome to the r/SpaceX Dragon CRS-2 SpX-35 Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

Welcome everyone!

Scheduled for (UTC)	Oct 13 2026, 10:33:44
Scheduled for (local)	Oct 13 2026, 06:33:44 AM (EDT)
Launch Window (UTC)	Instantaneous
Docking scheduled for (UTC)	TBA
Payload	Dragon CRS-2 SpX-35
Launch Weather Forecast	99% GO (Cumulus Cloud Rule)
Launch site	SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
Booster	B1096-8
Landing	The Falcon 9 first stage B1096 will land back at the launch site after its 8th flight.
Dragon	Cargo Dragon C211 C211-4
Mission success criteria	Successful deployment of spacecrafts into orbit
Trajectory (Flight Club)	2D,3D

Spacecraft Onboard

Spacecraft	Cargo Dragon 2
Serial Number	C211
Destination	ISS
Flights	3
Owner	SpaceX
Landing	The Cargo Dragon C211 spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
Capabilities	Cargo Earth Orbit Logistics

Details

Cargo Dragon 2 is a autonomous spaceship capable of bringing science to and from the International Space Station with large pressurized and un-pressurized sections to support a variety of missions.

History

Cargo Dragon 2 is an updated version of the original Dragon spaceship designed to service the International Space Station with first flights conducted in 2020.

In contrast to Dragon 1 it docks to the International Space Station instead of being berthed by the Canada Arm.

Watch the launch live

Stream	Link
Official Webcast	NASA
Official Webcast	NASA
Official Webcast	SpaceX
Unofficial Webcast	Spaceflight Now
Unofficial Webcast	NASASpaceflight

Stats

☑️ 738th SpaceX launch all time

☑️ 678th Falcon Family Booster landing

☑️ 8th landing on LZ-40

☑️ 223rd consecutive successful SpaceX launch (if successful)

☑️ 119th SpaceX launch this year

☑️ 49th launch from SLC-40 this year

☑️ 11 days, 19:23:38 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 75 days, 3:23:25 hours since last launch of booster B1096

Stats include F1, F9 , FH and Starship

Timeline

Time	Event
-0:38:00	GO for Prop Load
-0:35:00	Prop Load
-0:35:00	Stage 1 LOX Load
-0:16:00	Stage 2 LOX Load
-0:07:00	Engine Chill
-0:05:00	Dragon Internal Power
-0:01:00	Tank Press
-0:01:00	Startup
-0:00:45	GO for Launch
-0:00:03	Ignition
0:00:00	Liftoff
0:01:08	Max-Q
0:02:15	MECO
0:02:18	Stage 2 Separation
0:02:22	Stage 1 Flip
0:02:26	SES-1
0:02:31	Booster Boostback Burn Startup
0:03:25	Booster Boostback Burn Shutdown
0:05:58	Entry Burn Startup
0:06:06	Entry Burn Shutdown
0:07:04	Stage 1 Landing Burn
0:07:21	Stage 1 Landing
0:08:30	SECO-1
0:09:18	Dragon Separation
0:10:33	Dragon Nosecode Open

Updates

Time (UTC)	Update
11 Oct 15:55	Updated launch weather, >95% GO.
02 Oct 17:25	Tweaked T-0.
01 Oct 22:00	Refined tentative T-0.
01 Oct 21:36	Added approximate launch time.
01 Oct 18:18	NET October 13.
16 Aug 15:28	NET October.
17 Jul 23:41	NET Fall 2026.
10 Dec 2025, 18:40	NET August 2026.

Resources

• https://www.spacex.com/launches/crs35

Partnership with The Space Devs

Information on this thread is provided by and updated automatically using the Launch Library 2 API by The Space Devs.

Community content 🌐

Link	Source
Flight Club	u/TheVehicleDestroyer
Discord SpaceX lobby	u/SwGustav
SpaceX Now	u/bradleyjh
SpaceX Patch List

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Tweet link: https://x.com/spacex/status/2106090316747207047

With SpaceX progressing toward the stretched Starship V4 architecture, the physics of hot-staging will shift dramatically. While it is widely expected that Starship V4 will fire all 9 of its upper-stage engines (6 Vacuum / 3 Sea Level) at ignition to minimize severe gravity losses, the optimal configuration for the Super Heavy booster during this hand-off remains an open engineering question.

On Starship V3, Super Heavy shuts down all but its 5 center engines at MECO. This maintains positive acceleration (ullage) to settle booster propellants while allowing the ship to pull away cleanly. However, with a much heavier V4 ship pushing back with 9 Raptors, the booster's counter-thrust profile must adapt. [1]

Based on potential booster engine configurations during hot-staging, I’ve mapped out three primary options:

Option 1: The 7-Engine Booster Configuration

The booster cuts down to a tight 7-engine cluster. This lower thrust floor guarantees a massive differential acceleration, ensuring the 9-engine Starship pulls away rapidly. The risk here is that dropping down to 7 engines requires shutting down and rapidly restarting 6 of the inner 13 cluster engines just seconds later for the high-thrust boostback burn—increasing ignition fluid dependency and hardware stress.

Option 2: The 9-Engine Booster Configuration

The booster leaves 9 engines burning at a heavily throttled state. This matches the engine count of the ship above it and provides a higher thrust baseline, meaning fewer engines need to be reignited for the boostback burn. However, because a nearly empty booster is incredibly light, engineers would have to carefully manage the throttle to prevent the booster from accelerating too quickly and risking a collision during the physical separation window.

Option 3: All 13 Center Engines Throttled to Minimum Floor

Instead of shutting anything down in the center ring, Super Heavy commands all 13 inner engines to drop to their absolute minimum throttle floor.

• The Advantage: Zero engine restarts are required for the boostback burn. The 13 engines simply ramp from minimum throttle back up to 100%, completely bypassing the mechanical risks of microgravity relights.
• The Challenge: Can 13 Raptors—even at minimum throttle—allow a clean separation against the 9 engines firing from the massive, heavy upper stage?

Discussion Points for the Community:

1. What is the estimated minimum throttle capability of Raptor 3/4? Is it low enough to allow a 13-engine cluster to remain lit without overpowering a fully loaded V4 ship at separation?
2. If SpaceX opts for Option 1 or 2, does the risk of restarting engines in rapid succession outweigh the structural/thermal loads of a 13-engine hot-staging plume?
3. How do the mass dynamics of a stretched V4 change the staging timeline compared to what we saw on Flight 14?