It’s launch day in Florida.
SpaceX teams are on track to launch a Falcon 9 rocket Friday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with another batch of the company’s Starlink internet satellites. Starlink mission 6-14 is scheduled to launch at 7:56 PM EST.
Unsettled weather conditions are expected around the spaceport when the launch window opens, but are expected to improve overnight.
Check back for live coverage updates of the Space Team launch which will be posted on this page starting 90 minutes before the window opens. When a live stream of SpaceX hosted on X (formerly Twitter) becomes available about 5 minutes before liftoff, it will be provided at the top of this page.
When will SpaceX launch tonight:
The 230-foot Falcon 9 launch is tentatively scheduled for 7:56 PM EST, with an approximately four-hour launch window extending to 11:30 PM EST.
Teams have two backup opportunities at 11:12 PM ET (03:12 UTC on Sept. 9) and 11:30 PM EST if required. This will be the seventh flight of the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket.
If schedules hold, this will be the 47th Space Coast launch this year.
Asteroid Autumn:NASA’s Psyche mission is orbiting and studying a rare metallic asteroid
What are the weather forecasts for the Falcon 9 launch:
With possible thunderstorms and lightning expected Friday night, meteorologists with the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron expected conditions to be 60 percent “stable” when the launch window opened. However, overnight launch weather conditions are expected to improve to 85% by the end of the window.
Recovery conditions for landing a first-stage booster at sea on an unmanned vessel are listed as “low risk.”
According to Space Force forecasters, “Similar conditions are expected for Reserve Day (Saturday), with a possible daytime thunderstorm in the afternoon and more favorable conditions in the evening.”
Here’s everything you need to know:
- It will host Launch Complex 40 of the Cape Canaveral Space Station.
- The payload is the company’s next batch of Internet-broadcasting Starlink satellites.
- The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeasterly trajectory between Florida and the Bahamas.
Missile launch schedule:Upcoming launches and landings in Florida
Ministry of Defense:Hypersonic missile weapons were tested at the Space Force Station Cape Canaveral
- If it launches on time, it will mark the 47th Space Coast launch this year.
- There are no local sonic booms with this task.
- The 130-foot-tall first-stage booster will target a landing drone ship about eight minutes after liftoff.
When is the next launch from the Florida Space Coast?
The next launch from Cape is scheduled for Saturday morning.
United Launch Alliance teams are targeting 8:51 a.m. EST to launch the 196-foot-tall Atlas V rocket, which is equipped with five side-mounted solid rocket boosters, from Launch Complex 41.
The NROL-107 mission is a joint effort between the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.
It will send classified payloads that are part of the Space Force’s Silent Barker satellite constellation network directly into geosynchronous orbit about 24,000 miles above Earth to provide space situational awareness, orbital monitoring and tracking.
Catch FLORIDA TODAY’s space team live coverage of this mission starting 90 minutes before liftoff.
Moreover, more SpaceX Starlink missions are expected to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station next week, but the company has not yet announced a target date for the next mission.
For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jimmy Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her X in AlteredJamie.
Space is important to us and that’s why we work to provide the highest coverage of industry and launches in Florida. Such journalism requires time and resources. Please support him by subscribing here.