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.
The Starlink 6-14 mission is scheduled to launch at 11:12 PM EDT.
Unstable weather conditions are expected around the spaceport when the launch window opens, but are expected to improve throughout the night.
When a SpaceX live stream hosted on X (formerly Twitter) becomes available approximately 5 minutes before liftoff, it will be made available at the top of this page.
New launch time:
6:40 PM EST: SpaceX is now targeting 11:12 PM EDT to launch the Starlink 6-14 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Stay tuned for more frequent updates as we progress through tonight’s countdown.
Welcome to live coverage:
6:05 PM EST: Welcome to our space team’s live coverage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Starlink 6-14 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Launch teams are currently working on liftoff at 7:56 PM EDT, but are continuing to monitor weather conditions around the spaceport. A quick check shows that conditions are currently “unsuitable” for the launch due to lightning and rain.
Teams have two more chances to take off throughout the roughly four-hour launch period tonight at 11:12 PM and 11:30 PM EST. Stay tuned for more frequent updates as the start of refueling procedures approaches. This should be about 38 minutes before takeoff.
What to know about SpaceX’s Starlink 6-14 mission:
The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket is tentatively scheduled to launch at 7:56 PM EST, with a roughly four-hour launch window extending to 11:30 PM EST.
Teams have two backup opportunities at 11:12 PM ET (03:12 UTC on September 9) and 11:30 PM EST if necessary. This will be the seventh flight of the Falcon 9 first stage.
If the timelines hold, this will be it Space Coast’s 47th launch this year.
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What is the weather forecast for the Falcon 9 launch:
Because of the potential for thunderstorms and lightning expected Friday evening, meteorologists with the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron expected conditions to be 60 percent “stable” when the launch window opened. However, weather conditions for the overnight launch are expected to improve to 85% by the end of the window.
Recovery conditions for landing the first stage booster at sea on board an unmanned ship are listed as “low risk.”
According to Space Force forecasters, “Conditions similar to reserve day (Saturday) are expected, with a possible diurnal thunderstorm in the afternoon and more favorable conditions in the evening.”
Here’s everything you need to know:
- It will host the Cape Canaveral Space Station’s Launch Complex 40.
- The payload is the company’s next batch of Internet-broadcasting Starlink satellites.
- The 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeast trajectory between Florida and the Bahamas.
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- If it launches on time, it will mark the 47th Space Coast launch this year.
- There are no local sound spikes with this task.
- The 130-foot-long first-stage booster will target a landing drone ship about eight minutes after liftoff.
When will the next launch be from the Florida Space Coast?
The next launch from the Cape is scheduled for Saturday morning.
United Launch Alliance teams are targeting 8:51 a.m. EDT to launch the 196-foot-tall Atlas V rocket, 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 surveillance and tracking.
Follow FLORIDA TODAY’s space team’s live coverage of this mission starting 90 minutes before liftoff.
Furthermore, more SpaceX Starlink missions are expected to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station next week, but the company has not yet announced when the next mission will launch.
For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jimmy Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com And follow it X at AlteredJamie.
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