Follow live updates as SpaceX targets the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and 22 on Sunday, July 9, at 11:58 pm EDT. Starlink Internet Satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Tonight’s launch window is immediate, meaning the 230-foot rocket should fly on time at 11:58 p.m. or no later than Monday evening. The next available opportunity opens on Monday, July 10 at 8:11 PM EDT.
After liftoff and a flight to the southeast, the Falcon 9’s first stage booster will target the drone landing in the Atlantic Ocean. This will mark its 16th flight date, making it SpaceX’s fleet leader.
Follow live updates below:
Tonight’s launch pad: Southeast
10:45 PM EDT: After liftoff from Launch Complex 40 at 11:58 p.m. EDT, the Falcon 9 booster flying the Starlink mission tonight will fly on a southeast track. SpaceX has flown nearly 100 missions dedicated to the galaxy and has more than 1.5 million customers to date.
Falcon 9 booster for the record
10 p.m. EDT: Tonight’s 11:58 pm EDT launch will mark the 16th flight for this booster, making it the most flights for the Falcon 9 to date. If all goes according to plan, it will land aboard the Just Read the Instructions drone 8 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.
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SpaceX is still planning to launch
9 p.m. EDT: SpaceX crews are still planning to launch this Starlink mission, called 6-5, from Launch Complex 40. In the interim the storms have moved over the Space Coast and conditions are more favorable for a timely lift at 11:58 pm EDT. .
SpaceX is now targeting the end of the window
6:30 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is now targeting the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for a last-chance launch window tonight, which is 11:58 p.m. EDT. The company did not release details on why the rocket did not fly on three occasions, at 8:36 p.m., 9:27 p.m. and 10:17 p.m. EDT.
If schedules hold, fueling should begin at 11:23 pm EDT. Here’s the pre-release timeline:
- D-minus 00:38:00: SpaceX launch director checks “go” for propellant load
- 00:35:00: Loading of RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) begins
- 00:35:00: First stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
- 00:16:00: 2nd stage LOX loading begins
- 00:07:00: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch
- 00:01:00: Command flight computer to begin final pre-launch checks
- 00:01:00: Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
- 00:00:45: SpaceX launch director checks to launch “Go”.
- 00:00:03: The engine controller commands the engine to start the ignition sequence.
- 00:00:00: Falcon 9 liftoff
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