It’s launch day!
SpaceX’s Starlink 6-17 mission, which is intended to send 22 more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit, is targeted for liftoff at 10:47 PM EDT Tuesday, September 19.
If necessary, four backup launch options are available between 11:38 PM and 1:46 AM EDT on Wednesday, September 20.
The batch of Starlink Internet satellites are packed into the 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket’s payload fairing.
After a jaunt from Launch Complex 40 along a southeast trajectory, the first-stage booster is set to target a drone ship landing out at sea about eight minutes after liftoff.
Check back for live Space Team launch updates posted on this page starting 90 minutes before the window opens. When SpaceX’s live stream hosted on X (formerly Twitter) becomes available about five minutes before liftoff, it will be provided at the top of this page.
Visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
SpaceX launch tonight: Weather uncertain for ascent
The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron sets the odds for “go” conditions of 60% for the possible launch.
“The most likely weather disturbance to occur during the primary launch option is cumulus clouds associated with showers moving onshore,” the squadron’s forecast said.
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Meteorologists at the National Weather Service station in Melbourne expect a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday night at the space force station, with a low around 74, mostly cloudy skies and east-northeast winds at 5 to 10 mph.
If the schedule holds, this would be the Space Coast’s 50th launch this year.
Here’s everything to know about the SpaceX launch tonight:
- Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 will host.
- The payload is the company’s next batch of Starlink internet beaming satellites.
- The 230-foot-long Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeasterly path that squeezes between Florida and the Bahamas.
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- If launched on time, it will mark the Space Coast’s 50th launch this year.
- No local sonic boom with this mission.
- The 130-foot first-stage booster will target a drone ship that lands about eight minutes after liftoff.
- This will mark the 17th mission for this particular first stage Falcon 9 booster.
When is the next SpaceX launch from Florida’s Space Coast?
More SpaceX Starlink missions are expected to launch soon from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but the company has not yet announced when the next mission is targeted to launch. Visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
