Initiate a reboot: Below is live footage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 10-9 mission on Saturday, July 27.
After a two-week landing period, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fleet will return to flight with a post-midnight Starlink mission launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Welcome to the Florida Today Space Team’s live coverage of the Starlink mission 10-9. After a pair of delays, SpaceX is targeting a 1:45 a.m. EDT Saturday liftoff from Pad 39A.
The Falcon 9 deploys an array of 23 Starlink Internet satellites packed inside a fairing on top of the 230-foot rocket.
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 8½ minutes after liftoff.
Cape Canaveral:Is there a launch today? Schedule of upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launches in Florida
SpaceX Falcon 9 booster lands
Update 1:53 am: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster landed aboard SpaceX’s drone ship to read instructions in the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 17th mission.
Liftoff!
Update 1:45 am: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fleet is back in flight with today’s liftoff from KSC.
SpaceX launch webcast begins
Update 1:40 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.
SpaceX rocket launch weather is clear
Update 1:35 am: This National Weather Service radar loop shows no clouds over Cape Canaveral. Ten minutes to take off.
SpaceX booster to land on drone ship
Update at 1:30 am: Tonight’s mission marks the 17th flight for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SpaceX said.
The well-traveled booster previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19 and a dozen Starlink missions.
Following the standoff, the crew expects the booster to land aboard the SpaceX drone, read instructions after 8 minutes, 14 seconds in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX Launch Countdown Timeline
Update 1:20 am: Here’s a rundown of SpaceX’s remaining countdown timeline as it nears its 1:45 a.m. liftoff target. T-minus:
- 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 preview 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 initiate the ignition sequence.
- 0 seconds: Liftoff.
SpaceX Falcon 9 is about to start fueling
Update 1:10 am: SpaceX has now announced that Falcon 9 fuel processes are about to begin at Pad 39A — and “all systems are good.”
That means tonight’s Starlink countdown will be lifted at 1:45 am without any delay, otherwise the launch will have to be postponed.
SpaceX explains why Falcon 9 failed on July 11
Updated 12:52 am: In a statement released Thursday night, SpaceX officials offered insight into why the Falcon 9 upper stage malfunctioned after the July 11 launch from California.
“Post-flight data reviews confirmed that the Falcon 9’s first stage booster performed nominally through ascent, stage separation and a successful droneship landing. During the first burn of the Falcon 9’s second stage engine, liquid oxygen leaked into the insulation surrounding the upper stage engine,” it said. The statement said.
“The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line from a pressure sensor connected to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line is usually cracked due to a loosening of the clamp that holds the line and fatigue caused by engine vibration,” the statement said.
“Despite the leak, the second stage engine continued to operate during its first burn, and its engine completed the shutdown, where it entered the coast phase of the mission in its intended elliptical parking orbit.”
NWS radar shows clear skies at Cape Canaveral
Update at 12:30 am: This radar loop from the National Weather Service station at Melbourne-Orlando International Airport shows no significant cloud cover over Cape Canaveral, although rain is widespread in coastal areas northwest of Orlando and Daytona Beach.
SpaceX launch production is underway in Brevard
Update 12:10 am: Ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch, Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s Launch Operations Support Team.
SpaceX rescheduled the launch to 1:45 p.m
Updated 11:42 pm: Another delay. Liftoff was pushed back nearly an hour, to 1:45 a.m. Saturday.
Starlink service supports 2024 Paris Olympics
Updated 11:31 pm: This afternoon, Starlink officials shared a TikTok video showing the company’s broadband equipment supporting a live broadcast of the Olympic torch as it travels through the streets of Paris.
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics was held today.
SpaceX pushes back liftoff to 12:59 p.m
Updated 11:11 pm: SpaceX officials announced that they are now targeting liftoff at 12:59 a.m. Saturday, a 38-minute delay.
Space Force: 85% odds of ‘go to launch’ weather
Update at 11 pm: The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron puts the odds of favorable launch weather at 85%.
“The western Atlantic ridge axis lies north of the spaceport, and a deep ocean flow continues to push east coast sea breezes inland quickly each afternoon. The lingering effects of Saharan dust will keep conditions drier than normal, with little chance of coastal rain overnight,” the forecast said.
“The primary weather concern for an early Saturday morning effort is a cumulus cloud pattern associated with erratic coastal rain,” the forecast said.
Check out the latest news and launch schedules from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neal Today he is a space reporter in Florida. Contact at Neely[email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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