Brevard Space Coast launch sites rockets spaceX ULA NASA
A quick look at which rockets lift off from various Brevard launch sites.
Scrubbed launch recap: Scroll down to review live coverage of the unsuccessful Friday, June 14, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 10-2 mission.
Will the third time prove the charm? SpaceX will try again today to launch the Starlink 10-2 mission after back-to-back postponements from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of today’s launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. After announcing two delays, SpaceX is now targeting 5:07 p.m. EDT to finally send the Falcon 9 rocket skyward from Launch Complex 40.
The Falcon 9 will deploy a batch of 22 Starlink internet satellites, which are packed inside the fairing atop the 230-foot rocket. No Central Florida sonic booms are expected. After soaring skyward along a northeasterly trajectory, the rocket’s first-stage booster will target landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship out at sea nearly 8½ minutes after liftoff.
Update 5:28 p.m.: SpaceX just tweeted new information: “Standing down from today’s Falcon 9 launch. A new target launch date will be shared once available.”
Update 5:24 p.m.: Still no public announcement on why the rocket’s launch process halted quickly after engines ignited.
Falcon 9 flight computers take control of the launch countdown during the last minute before liftoff.
Update 5:09 p.m.: SpaceX scrubbed today’s launch of a Falcon 9 in a last-second abort from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
No official explanation has been publicly released.
Update 5:02 p.m.: SpaceX’s launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted above, right below the countdown clock.
Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Update 4:52 p.m.: Tonight’s mission marks the 16th flight for this Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SpaceX reported.
The booster previously launched SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1 and 10 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes, 18 seconds after liftoff.
Update 4:42 p.m.: This National Weather Service radar loop from the Melbourne Orlando International Airport station shows stormy, severe weather remains to the south and southwest of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as today’s liftoff time approaches.
Update 4:32 p.m.: SpaceX just announced Falcon 9 fueling is about to begin at Launch Complex 40 — and “all systems are looking good.”
That means tonight’s Starlink countdown is now locked in to lift off at 5:07 p.m. without any delays, or else the launch must be postponed.
Update 4:14 p.m.: SpaceX has announced a new liftoff target time: 5:07 p.m.
Update 3:57 p.m.: SpaceX just pushed back the liftoff target time 18 minutes, to 4:49 p.m.
Update 3:47 p.m.: In a marked difference from Wednesday and Thursday’s unsuccessful launch attempts, this National Weather Service radar loop shows scant significant cloud cover near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Update 3:38 p.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.
Update 3:23 p.m.: The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron forecast calls for 30% odds of favorable launch weather early during today’s window — but those odds increase to 70% by the end.
Anvil clouds and cumulus clouds pose prime threats, the forecast said.
“Daytime heating and the presence of the boundary will once again kick off numerous showers and storms by midFriday afternoon with the exact location of activity dependent on how much north-northeasterly flow we see behind the boundary,” the forecast said.
“Models continue to show the tendency for any activity to be inland of the Spaceport, especially headingfurther into the launch window. Anvil level flow will still be out of the west-northwest, though less robust than thisevening, meaning that even with activity to the southwest anvil may still reach the Spaceport and these will remain the primary concern,” the forecast said.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Dr. Sarah Adams is a scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to all. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
