Brevard Space Coast launch sites rockets spaceX ULA NASA
A quick look at which rockets lift off from various Brevard launch sites.
Updates: Scrub! Scroll down for live coverage of the postponed Saturday, Jan. 13, liftoff attempt of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape. Additional opportunities will become available Sunday starting at 7:45 p.m. EST, SpaceX announced.
Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team live coverage of tonight’s SpaceX Starlink 6-37 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
In a delayed liftoff time, SpaceX is now targeting 8:42 p.m. EST to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40. Backup opportunities are available until 11:50 p.m., SpaceX reports, should delays arise.
The Falcon 9 will deploy a batch of 23 Starlink internet satellites, which are packed inside the fairing atop the 230-foot rocket.
The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts 70% odds of “go for launch” conditions during tonight’s window. In the wake of a cold front sliding south of the Cape this afternoon, meteorologists cite thick cloud layers as the primary weather threat.
No local sonic booms are expected. After soaring skyward along a southeastern trajectory, the rocket’s first-stage booster will target landing aboard a drone ship out at sea 8½ minutes after liftoff.
When SpaceX’s live webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) becomes available about five minutes before liftoff, it will be posted at the top of this page.
Update 7:58 p.m.: SpaceX crews will target Sunday night for the Starlink 6-37 mission, the company just announced via tweet.
The Sunday launch window opens at 7:45 p.m., and the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron pegs the odds of “go for launch” weather at 80%.
Update 7:44 p.m.: SpaceX has scrubbed tonight’s launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Brevard County emergency management officials just announced.
No official explanation has been publicly released.
Update 7:30 p.m.: SpaceX has announced that tonight’s liftoff target has moved back to 8:42 p.m.
Update 7:05 p.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of tonight’s Falcon 9 launch.
Update 6:50 p.m.: Following is a list of key milestones in the upcoming Falcon 9 countdown timeline:
- 35 minutes: Rocket-grade kerosene and first-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.
- 16 minutes: Second-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.
- 7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch.
- 1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks; propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
- 45 seconds: SpaceX launch director verifies “go” for launch.
- 3 seconds: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start.
- 0 seconds: Falcon 9 liftoff.
Update 6:30 p.m.: More details from the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron launch forecast, which was issued Friday:
“If storms were to form while we are in the warm sector ahead of the cold front (Friday) afternoon, there is a very slight risk for severe storms, with the main concern being damaging winds,” the forecast said.
“In the wake of the cold front, which slides south of the Spaceport Saturday afternoon, the primary concern for launch weather constraints will be the Thick Cloud Layers Rule,” the forecast said.
“Models have become more enthusiastic about sufficiently thick mid- to upper-level clouds over the area which would pose a threat to launch constraints,” the forecast said.
More: Race for bandwidth: Internet satellites fuel record-breaking launch year on Space Coast
For the latest launch schedule updates from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1