It’s launch day in Florida.
SpaceX teams are set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket Friday night from the Cape Canaveral space station along with another batch of the company’s Starlink internet satellites. Liftoff for the Starlink 6-14 mission is scheduled for 7:56 p.m. EDT.
Uncertain weather around the spaceport is expected as the launch window opens but is expected to improve throughout the night.
Check back for live updates of Space Team launch coverage which will be posted on this page starting 90 minutes before the window opens. When the SpaceX live stream hosted on X (formerly Twitter) becomes available approximately 5 minutes before liftoff, it will be provided at the top of this page.
When is the SpaceX launch tonight:
Liftoff for the 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket is tentatively scheduled for 7:56 p.m. EDT, with a nearly four-hour launch window that extends until 11:30 p.m. EDT.
Teams have two save opportunities available at 11:12 p.m. ET (03:12 UTC September 9) and 11:30 p.m. EDT if needed. This will be the seventh flight of the Falcon 9 first stage booster.
If the deadlines are met, this will become Space Coast’s 47th launch this year.
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What is the weather forecast for the Falcon 9 launch:
With a lingering risk of thunderstorms and lightning expected Friday night, forecasters from the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicted conditions would be 60 percent “good” when the launch window opens. However, throughout the night, launch weather conditions are expected to improve to 85% by the end of the window.
The recovery conditions for a first-stage booster landing at sea aboard a drone were classified as “low risk”.
According to Space Force forecasters, “similar conditions are expected for the relief day (Saturday), with potential daytime thunderstorms in the afternoon and more favorable conditions towards the evening.”
Here’s everything you need to know:
- Cape Canaveral Space Station Launch Complex 40 will host.
- The payload is the company’s next batch of Starlink internet satellites.
- The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeasterly trajectory between Florida and the Bahamas.
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- If launched on time, it will be Space Coast’s 47th launch this year.
- No local sound booms with this mission.
- The 130-foot first-stage booster will target a landing drone about eight minutes after takeoff.
When will the next launch from the Space Coast of Florida take place?
The next launch from Cape Town is scheduled for Saturday morning.
United Launch Alliance crews are targeting 8:51 a.m. EDT for liftoff of a 196-foot Atlas V rocket, equipped with five side-mounted solid-state rocket boosters from Launch Complex 41.
The NROL-107 mission is a joint effort between Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.
It will send covert payloads that are part of the Space Force Silent Barker Satellite Constellation Network directly into a geosynchronous orbit approximately 24,000 miles above Earth to provide space situational awareness, orbital surveillance and a follow up.
Follow live coverage of this mission’s launch from the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team beginning 90 minutes before liftoff.
Beyond that, other SpaceX Starlink missions are set to launch from the Cape Canaveral space station next week, but the company has yet to announce when the next mission is expected to lift off.
For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jamie Groh at [email protected] and follow her on X at @AlteredJamie.
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