Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team live coverage of tonight’s SpaceX Starlink 6-30 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The scheduled launch time is 11:20 p.m. EST, where SpaceX aims to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The primary objective of this mission is to deploy a batch of 23 Starlink internet satellites. These satellites are enclosed within the payload fairings atop the 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket.
There are no anticipated local sonic booms associated with this launch. Following liftoff and ascending along a southeastern trajectory, the rocket’s first-stage booster is expected to land on a drone ship in the sea approximately 8½ minutes after liftoff. Stay tuned for live updates on the mission.
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Fifteen minutes before SpaceX’s scheduled 11:20 p.m. EST Falcon 9 launch, the countdown appears to be proceeding as planned. Fueling is well underway at Launch Complex 40.
Though SpaceX has yet to make an announcement, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning indicates Cape Canaveral’s next launch window will open late Friday night and extend 4½ hours into early Saturday morning. Welcome to FLORIDA
This upcoming launch window opens at 11 p.m. Friday and extends until 3:31 a.m. EST Saturday. Those hours mirror those of tonight’s Starlink 6-30 mission.