Updates: Friday's SpaceX Starlink 6-19 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Jamie GrohUpdate: Liftoff of the SpaceX Starlink 6-19 mission at 10:00 p.m. EDT Friday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station! This marked the 52nd launch from Florida this year. A drone ship landing followed. Read our full post-launch story here.
SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida are on track to launch a Falcon 9 rocket Friday with another batch of the company's Starlink internet satellites.
Liftoff of the 230-foot rocket from Launch Complex 40 has been rescheduled for 10:00 p.m. EDT, with a window that stretches until 10:15 p.m. EDT. This would become the Space Coast's 52nd launch this year.
Updates from Friday's event below:
The Falcon 9 has landed:
The Falcon 9 first stage has landed aboard SpaceX's Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 17th mission.
— Jamie Groh
Liftoff!
10:00 p.m. EDT: SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket with 22 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40 Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The drone ship landing of the first stage booster should be coming up in about eight minutes.
— Jamie Groh
Weather remains a concern:
9:40 p.m. EDT: SpaceX reports that ahead of a 10:00 p.m. EDT liftoff attempt, teams are keeping an eye on the weather conditions around the spaceport. Twenty minutes remain in the countdown. Stay tuned.
— Jamie Groh
SpaceX Falcon 9 fueling underway:
9:30 p.m. EDT: No confirmation from SpaceX, but Falcon 9 fueling procedures are underway, as visual cues indicate. The Starlink 6-19 mission is now committed to liftoff at 10:00 p.m. EDT or will have to be delayed until another day. Here's a look at the remaining milestone in the countdown timeline:
T-minus:
- 38 minutes: SpaceX launch director verifies go for propellant load.
- 35 minutes: Rocket-grade kerosene loading and first stage liquid oxygen loading begin.
- 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.
- 00:00:00: Falcon 9 liftoff.
— Jamie Groh
T-minus 60 minutes until SpaceX rocket launch:
9:00 p.m. EDT: At T-minus one hour until liftoff, all things seem to be proceeding as planned. No word yet from SpaceX if the 10:00 p.m. EDT targeted liftoff time will hold. If needed, teams have one other opportunity tonight at 10:15 p.m. to launch the Starlink 6-19 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
If SpaceX is indeed sticking to liftoff at 10:00 p.m. EDT, the launch director should be giving the "go" to proceed with fueling the Falcon 9 in 22 minutes. Stay tuned.
— Jamie Groh
T-minus 90 minutes until SpaceX rocket launch:
8:30 p.m. EDT: After liftoff from Launch Complex 40 at 10:00 p.m. EDT, the Falcon 9 booster flying tonight's Starlink mission will fly along a southeastern trajectory with a booster landing targeted for a drone ship stationed at sea about eight minutes later.
This will mark the 10th flight of the first stage booster.
Weather around the spaceport is still trending in a more favorable direction. Stay tuned.
— Jamie Groh
Weather improving:
6:45 p.m. EDT: At a quick glance, while weather conditions remain a concern for liftoff tonight, there has been some improvement around the spaceport. The Space Force last pegged a 40% chance of favorable conditions throughout the window tonight. Stay tuned.
New SpaceX launch time:
5:55 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is now targeting a liftoff of tonight's Starlink 6-19 mission for 10:00 p.m. EDT. Stay tuned.
— Jamie Groh
One hour until liftoff of SpaceX rocket launch tonight:
5:49 p.m. EDT: At T-minus one hour, all things seem to be proceeding as planned. No word yet from SpaceX if the 6:49 p.m. EDT targeted liftoff time will hold, but the weather remains "no go" around the spaceport for clouds and lightning. If needed, teams have until 10:15 p.m. to launch tonight's Starlink 6-19 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
If SpaceX is indeed sticking to liftoff at 6:49 p.m. EDT, the launch director should be giving the "go" to proceed with fueling the Falcon 9 in 22 minutes. Stay Tuned.
— Jamie Groh
Welcome to live coverage:
5:15 p.m. EDT: Good evening and welcome to our Space Team live coverage of tonight's SpaceX Starlink 6-19 mission launch attempt from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
At last check, SpaceX is working toward liftoff at 6:49 p.m. EDT. Weather conditions around the spaceport were last projected by the Space Force to be 40% favorable. A quick now shows that conditions are currently "no go" for liftoff due to lightning in the area. SpaceX teams have a nearly four-hour window to work with tonight, which extends until 10:15 p.m. EDT.
More frequent updates will be provided as we progress through the pre-launch countdown. Stay tuned.
— Jamie Groh
Original story below:
When is the SpaceX launch today?
The first opportunity to launch the Starlink 6-19 mission is at 10:00 p.m. EDT Friday night, during a nearly four-hour launch window with three additional opportunities through 10:15 p.m. EDT.
What's the weather like for the SpaceX launch today?
Weather conditions for the Starlink 6-19 mission, according to the Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, are expected to be poor. Forecasters last projected a 40% chance of "go" conditions through the launch window on Friday night.
Besides a primary concern of clouds and rain associated with thunderstorms, forecasters also listed the threat of lightning as a concern.
Recovery conditions for a booster landing aboard a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas were listed as "low risk."
Here's everything else you need to know about the SpaceX launch today:
- 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 Falcon 9 rocket will follow a southeasterly trajectory threading between Florida and the Bahamas.
- If it launches on time, it will mark the Space Coast\'s 52nd launch this year.
- No local sonic booms with this mission. The 130-foot first-stage booster will target a drone ship landing about eight minutes after liftoff.
- This will mark the 10th flight of the first stage booster.
Artemis II:Solid rocket boosters for NASA's Space Launch System rocket delivered to KSC
Rocket launch schedule:Upcoming Florida launches and landings
When are the next rocket launches?
United Launch Alliance teams at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are preparing for liftoff of an Atlas V rocket with KuiperSat-1 and 2, the first pair of prototype satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband system — a planned constellation of over 3,000 satellites that will deliver global internet service connectivity.
The launch window for a liftoff from Launch Complex 41 opens at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 6.
Meanwhile, SpaceX teams at Kennedy Space Center are preparing for the liftoff of a Falcon Heavy rocket. The payload of that mission is NASA's Psyche spacecraft, which will study a metal-rich asteroid between Mars and Jupiter.
On Thursday, NASA and SpaceX adjusted the targeted launch window of the Psyche mission from October 5 to October 12.
"The change allows the NASA team to complete verifications of the parameters used to control the Psyche spacecraft’s nitrogen cold gas thrusters," NASA said in a statement on Thursday. "These thrusters are used to point the vehicle in support of science, power, thermal, and other demands. The parameters were recently adjusted in response to updated, warmer temperature predictions for these thrusters."
The Psyche mission marks the first time the triple-core rocket has been selected to host a dedicated payload for NASA. Previous Falcon Heavy missions have supported commercial satellites and national security missions for the U.S. Space Force.
Liftoff of the interplanetary mission is tentatively slated for no earlier than 10:16 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 12, from pad 39A.
It remains to be determined how either of these missions' status or launch date could be further impacted if a partial government shutdown occurs this weekend. When asked, NASA directed all queries to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which did not return a request for comment. For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jamie Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her on X at @AlteredJamie.