Summary of the launch: Below is live coverage of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral for the Starlink 10-9 mission on Saturday, July 27.
After a two-week hiatus, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fleet will resume flight operations with a Starlink mission launching after midnight 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 aiming for a 1:45 a.m. EDT Saturday launch from Pad 39A.
The Falcon 9 will deploy 23 Starlink internet satellites housed in the fairing atop the 230-foot rocket.
No sonic booms are expected in Central Florida. After flying skyward on a northeasterly trajectory, the rocket’s first stage is scheduled to land at sea aboard a SpaceX drone ship about 8½ minutes after liftoff.
Cape Canaveral:Is there a launch today? Upcoming rocket launch schedule from SpaceX, NASA and ULA in Florida
SpaceX Falcon 9 booster lands
Update 01:53 am: The Falcon 9 first stage booster has just landed in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions, completing its 17th mission.
Lift up!
Update 01:45 am: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fleet is back on flight readiness with today’s launch from KSC.
Webcast on SpaceX launch begins
Update 01:40 am: The SpaceX launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted above, just below the countdown clock.
The start of the KSC is scheduled in five minutes.
The weather for the SpaceX rocket launch seems clear
Update 01:35 am: This radar loop from the National Weather Service shows no significant cloud cover over Cape Canaveral. Ten minutes until liftoff.
SpaceX booster to land on drone ship
Update 01:30 am: According to SpaceX, today’s mission is the 17th flight of this Falcon 9 first stage.
The well-traveled booster previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, as well as a dozen Starlink missions.
After stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes and 14 seconds after launch.
SpaceX launch countdown schedule
Update 01:20 am: Here’s a look at SpaceX’s remaining countdown schedule as we approach the 1:45 a.m. launch target. T-minus:
- 16 minutes: The second stage of liquid oxygen loading begins.
- 7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch.
- 1 minute: The flight control computer begins final pre-takeoff checks; fuel tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
- 45 seconds: SpaceX’s launch manager confirms clearance for launch.
- 3 seconds: The engine control gives the command to start the engine ignition sequence.
- 0 seconds: Lift up.
Refueling of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is imminent
Update 01:10 am: SpaceX has just announced that refueling of the Falcon 9 on launch pad 39A will begin soon – and “all systems look good.”
This means that the countdown for Starlink will be set tonight so that the launch can occur at 1:45 a.m. without delays, otherwise the launch will have to be postponed.
SpaceX explains why Falcon 9 failed on July 11
Update 00:52: In a statement released Thursday evening, SpaceX officials provided insight into the cause of the Falcon 9 upper stage malfunction following its July 11 launch from California.
“Post-flight data review confirmed that the Falcon 9 first stage booster functioned properly during ascent, stage separation and successful drone ship landing. During the first burn of the Falcon 9 second stage engine, a liquid oxygen leak occurred in the insulation surrounding the upper stage engine,” the statement said.
“The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sensor line for a pressure sensor connected to the vehicle’s oxygen system. The crack in this line is due to fatigue caused by the high stress of engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally holds the line in place,” the statement said.
“Despite the leak, the second stage engine continued to run for the duration of its first burn and completed its engine shutdown, where it entered the glide phase of the mission in the planned elliptical parking orbit.”
NWS radar shows clear skies over Cape Canaveral
Update 00:30: This radar loop from the National Weather Service station at Melbourne Orlando International Airport shows no significant cloud cover over Cape Canaveral, although isolated rain showers are forecast northwest of Orlando and off the coast of Daytona Beach.
SpaceX launch preparations underway in Brevard
Update 00:10: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of the upcoming launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
SpaceX postpones launch again to 1:45 a.m.
Update 11.42pm: Another delay. The start was pushed back by almost another hour to 1:45 a.m. on Saturday.
Starlink service supports the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
Update 11.31pm: This afternoon, Starlink officials shared a TikTok video showing how the company’s broadband equipment is supporting the live broadcast of the Olympic torch through the streets of Paris.
Today the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games took place in Paris.
SpaceX postpones launch to 00:59
Update 11.11pm: SpaceX officials have just announced that they are now targeting a launch time of 12:59 a.m. on Saturday, a delay of 38 minutes.
Space Force: 85% probability of “clear to launch” weather
Update 11pm: The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron estimates the probability of favorable launch weather at 85%.
“The axis of the Western Atlantic Ridge lies north of the spaceport, with a deep land current driving east coast sea breezes rapidly inland each afternoon. The continued impact of the Saharan dust will keep conditions drier than normal and reduce the likelihood of overnight coastal showers,” the squadron’s forecast said.
“The biggest weather concern for an early Saturday morning attempt is the Cumulus Cloud Rule coupled with isolated coastal showers,” the forecast said.
For the latest news and launch schedules from NASA’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a space reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.comTwitter/X: @RickNeale1
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