Brevard Space Coast Launch Pads Rockets SpaceX ULA NASA
Take a quick look at which rockets are launching from various Brevard launch sites.
Initiate a reboot: Scroll down to review live coverage of Monday, August 12, when the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the Starlink 10-7 mission.
Original story: First, SpaceX’s Starlink 10-7 mission was bumped from Saturday’s schedule. Then the missile countdown scrubbed 46 seconds before liftoff on Sunday.
Will the Falcon 9 rocket finally fly this morning? wait
Welcome to the Florida Today Space team live coverage of the twice-delayed SpaceX Starlink 10-7 mission from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX is targeting 6:37 a.m. EDT for the Falcon 9’s final launch.
The rocket deploys an array of 23 Starlink broadband satellites packed inside the 230-foot rocket’s fairing. No Central Florida sonic boom is expected.
After heading skyward on a northeast trajectory, the rocket’s first-stage booster will aim to land aboard a SpaceX drone in the ocean eight minutes after liftoff.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Schedule of upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launches from Florida
Update 6:45 am: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster landed in the Atlantic Ocean aboard SpaceX’s drone in a shortfall of gravitas, completing its 17th mission.
UPDATE 6:37 AM: SpaceX launched Falcon 9 from KSC carrying 23 Starlink satellites.
Update 6:32 am: SpaceX’s launch webcast, hosted on X (formerly Twitter), is now live below the countdown clock.
Liftoff from KSC is scheduled in five minutes.
Update 6:27 am: Ten minutes before SpaceX’s Falcon 9 liftoff attempt, the countdown appears to be going as planned. Rocket refueling continues.
Following is a list of remaining major countdown milestones. T-minus:
- 7 minutes: Falcon 9 starts engine cooling before launch.
- 1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch tests; The propellant tank starts to pressurize to flight pressure.
- 45 seconds: The SpaceX Launch Director checks “Go to Launch”.
- 3 seconds: The engine controller commands the engine to start the ignition sequence.
- 0 seconds: Falcon 9 liftoff.
Update 6:24 am: Today’s pre-sunrise mission will mark the 17th flight of the Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SpaceX said.
The booster previously launched SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1 and 11 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas lifted off into the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes, 12 seconds later.
Update 6:14 am: Ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch, Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s Launch Operations Support Team.
Update 6:02 am: SpaceX announced that Falcon 9 refueling procedures are underway at Pad 39A, and that “the weather is looking good.”
That means the Starlink countdown this morning is locked in to start at 6:37am without any delay, otherwise the launch will have to be postponed.
Update 5:55 am: During a fireside chat at the Mountain Connect Broadband Development Conference in Denver, Colorado last week, SpaceX President and COO Quinn Shadwell said that fiber optic cable is best suited to serve densely populated cities — but Starlink satellite Internet better serves sparsely populated areas.
“The brilliance of the constellation concept is that it’s very complementary with fiber,” Shotwell said.
He noted that cable installation costs anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 per mile — and, “With a Starlink kit I can bridge that gap, like 500 bucks.”
“What we really want everyone to understand is, yes, we can serve the cities — but we can’t serve everyone in the cities, right? But we can serve everyone in (the) rural American and semi-rural areas,” he said. .
Update 5:42 am: Here’s a rundown of the highlights of SpaceX’s behind-the-scenes countdown timeline. T-minus:
- 38 minutes: The SpaceX launch director checks the “go” for the propellant load.
- 35 minutes: Rocket-grade kerosene and first-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.
- 16 minutes: The second phase of liquid oxygen loading begins.
- 7 minutes: Falcon 9 starts engine cooling before launch.
- 1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch tests; The propellant tank starts to pressurize to flight pressure.
- 45 seconds: The SpaceX launch director checks the “go” for the launch.
- 3 seconds: The engine controller commands the engine to start the ignition sequence.
- 0 seconds: Liftoff.
Update 5:24 am: The Space Force’s 45th Weather Wing issued a sterling forecast for the mission this morning, announcing a 95% chance of “go to launch” weather conditions. This also applies to tomorrow’s backup release window.
“The axis of the Atlantic subtropical ridge, currently located over southern Florida, will slowly move northward over the next few days. This system typically brings seasonal afternoon thunderstorm activity, and conditions should be favorable for any window,” the forecast said.
“There is a small concern for a cumulus cloud breach each morning, primarily at the end of the window,” the forecast said.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service predicts heat indices will soar to 107 across east-central Florida later today, with afternoon storms expected to drop 3 inches of rain in some communities.
For the latest news and launch schedules from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neal Today he is a space reporter in Florida. Contact Neil [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
