UPDATES: Scroll down for live coverage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch attempt Tuesday night. The company later announced that high winds at ground level were the cause.
Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team’s live coverage of the SpaceX Starlink 6-34 mission tonight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX is now targeting a Falcon 9 rocket launch at 11:39 PM EDT from Launch Complex 40.
However, there will be no Space Coast double launch tonight. Once again, SpaceX has postponed its attempt to launch a Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the secret Space Force X-37B orbital test vehicle until the next day. New target time: 8:13 pm Wednesday.
Tonight’s Starlink mission is scheduled to be the record-extending 69th from the Space Coast this year. The Falcon 9 rocket will lift 23 satellites into low Earth orbit, flying on a southeast trajectory.
The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron forecast indicates there is a 65% chance of favorable weather.
Updated 11:39 PM EST: SpaceX has canceled tonight’s launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
No official explanation has been released publicly.
Updated 11:34 PM EST: The SpaceX launch live stream on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted at the top of this page.
Liftoff is scheduled for five minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Updated 11:26 PM EST: Thirteen minutes before SpaceX’s scheduled Falcon 9 launch at 11:39 p.m., the countdown appears to be going as planned.
Updated at 11:15 PM EST: Refueling procedures are well underway at Launch Complex 40. Below is a list of key upcoming countdown milestones. T minus:
- 16 minutes: The second stage of liquid oxygen loading begins.
- 7 minutes: The Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch.
- 1 minute: The flight command computer begins final pre-launch checks; The fuel tank pressure starts until it reaches cruising pressure.
- 45 seconds: SpaceX’s launch director checks the “go” for the launch.
- 3 seconds: The engine control module controls the start of the engine ignition sequence.
- 0 seconds: Falcon taking off 9.
Updated at 11:05 PM EST: Fueling procedures for the Falcon 9 rocket are now underway at Launch Complex 40.
“All systems and weather are currently ready for launch,” SpaceX announced.
This means the Starlink 6-34 mission is now committed to liftoff at 11:39 p.m., otherwise tonight’s launch must be postponed.
Updated at 10:50 PM EST: Space Florida, the state’s aerospace financing and development authority, promoted Cape’s buzzy orbital launch schedule in a tweet this morning.
“Florida Spaceports sent approximately 1,918,600 pounds of payloads into orbit in 2023,” Space Florida’s tweet said.
“We will likely reach 2 million pounds in orbit by (end of year),” the tweet read.
Updated at 10:30 PM EST: SpaceX is now targeting 11:39pm for launch.
This is 39 minutes after the original take-off target at 11 p.m.
Updated 10:20 PM EST: SpaceX just announced that it will postpone Wednesday night’s Falcon Heavy launch attempt to lift the secretive Space Force X-37B orbital test vehicle into orbit on the USSF-52 mission.
Updated at 10:15 PM EST: Tonight’s mission marks the third flight of the Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously launched the Crew-7 and CRS-29 missions, SpaceX reports.
more: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 astronauts are ready for the mission to the International Space Station
After stage separation, the booster is scheduled to land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes and 28 seconds after liftoff.
Updated 9:52 a.m. EST: SpaceX’s latest Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Cape early Thursday morning, marking the company’s 90th launch so far this year.
Then on Friday, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Tonight’s mission will bring SpaceX’s annual launch total to 92.
Updated at 9:37 PM EST: SpaceX announced in a tweet that its crew pulled out of the Falcon Heavy USSF-52 mission on Monday “due to a groundside issue,” though the vehicle and payload remained intact.
“The extra time allows teams to complete system checks before liftoff. Teams are also monitoring the weather, which is 40% favorable for launch,” SpaceX said in a tweet this afternoon.
more: Double rub! SpaceX stops taking on Falcon Heavy, Falcon 9 launches Monday
For the latest Cape launch schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Rick Neil He is Florida Today’s space correspondent (for more of his stories, click here.) Call Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter/X: @Rick Neal1
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