After a two-week lockdown, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fleet will resume flights after midnight. Starlink missions launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Welcome to the FLORIDA TODAY space team’s live coverage of the Starlink 10-9 mission. After two delays, SpaceX is scheduled to lift off from Launch Pad 39A at 1:45 a.m. EDT on Saturday. The Falcon 9 will deploy 23 Starlink internet satellites packed inside a fairing on top of the 230-foot rocket. There will be an opportunity for a backup launch until 4:21 a.m. if needed.
No sonic boom is expected over central Florida. The rocket’s first stage booster will ascend along a northeasterly trajectory before landing on a SpaceX drone ship at sea about eight and a half minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX’s live webcast, hosted on X (formerly Twitter), will be available approximately five minutes before launch and will be posted below a countdown clock.
Cape Canaveral:Is there a launch today? SpaceX, NASA, and ULA scheduled rocket launches in Florida
NWS radar shows clear skies over Cape Canaveral
Update 12:30 AM: The National Weather Service radar loop at Melbourne-Orlando International Airport showed no significant clouds over Cape Canaveral, but widespread rain northwest of Orlando and off Daytona Beach.
SpaceX launch preparations underway in Brevard
Update 12:10am: Brevard County Emergency Management Agency officials have activated the agency’s Launch Operations Support Team in advance of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.
SpaceX postpones launch again to 1:45 a.m.
Update, 11:42 p.m.: More delays. The launch was postponed for nearly another hour until 1:45 a.m. Saturday.
Starlink service to support the 2024 Paris Olympics
Update, 11:31 p.m.: This afternoon, Starlink executives shared a TikTok video showcasing the company’s broadband equipment supporting live coverage of the Olympic torch moving through the streets of Paris.
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics took place today.
SpaceX postpones launch to 12:59 a.m.
Update, 11:11 p.m.: SpaceX officials said the launch was now scheduled for 12:59 a.m. Saturday, 38 minutes late.
Space Force: 85% chance of “launch-safe” weather
Update, 11 p.m.: The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron estimates there is an 85% chance of suitable weather for the launch.
“The West Atlantic Ridge axis lies north of the spaceport and deep land winds continue to drive the East Coast sea breezes rapidly inland each afternoon. Due to the lingering influence of Saharan dust, weather is drier than normal with low chances of coastal precipitation overnight,” the squadron forecast said.
“The main weather concern for Saturday’s early morning challenge will be cumulus law with scattered coastal showers,” the forecast said.
For the latest news and launch schedules from Cape Canaveral Space Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, floridatoday.com/Space.
Rick Neal Neil is a space reporter for Florida Today. Contact Neil atcontact addressTwitter/X: Rick Neal 1
