Get ready for a Thursday morning SpaceX-ULA rocket-launch doubleheader from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station!
First up, SpaceX is targeting 4:39 a.m. to send up 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40. The four-hour launch window extends until 8:36 a.m., should delays arise.
Morning launch weather should be excellent. The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron has upgraded the odds of favorable conditions to 95%, with cumulus clouds representing a slight concern.
No Brevard County sonic booms should occur. After soaring skyward along a northeasterly trajectory, the rocket’s first-stage booster will target landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship out at sea about 8½ minutes after liftoff.
Soon afterward, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket should lift off at 8:09 a.m. carrying 27 satellites for the Amazon Project Kuiper broadband constellation. This launch window will last 29 minutes, if needed, from Launch Complex 41.
Check back for live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage updates from both back-to-back missions on this page, kicking off about 90 minutes before SpaceX’s launch target time. When SpaceX’s live webcast begins about five minutes before the Starlink liftoff, we’ll post it below next to our countdown clock.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA, rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What to know before SpaceX rocket launch on Starlink mission in Florida