Live updates from Thursday's launch in Cape Canaveral

Summary of the launch: Scroll down to watch live updates from the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral for the Starlink 8-11 mission on Thursday, September 5.

Original reporting: This morning marks the second consecutive SpaceX Falcon 9 launch attempt from the Space Coast. Will the rocket fly after aborting late on Wednesday’s countdown?

Welcome to the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team’s live coverage of today’s SpaceX Starlink 8-11 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Due to stormy weather this morning, SpaceX is now targeting 11:33 a.m. EDT for the rocket’s launch from Launch Complex 40.

The 230-foot-tall Falcon 9 will carry 21 Starlink internet satellites – 13 of which have direct communications capabilities – into low Earth orbit.

No sonic booms are expected in Central Florida. After flying skyward on a northeasterly trajectory, the rocket’s first stage is scheduled to land in the Atlantic Ocean aboard a SpaceX drone ship less than 8½ minutes after liftoff.

However, SpaceX canceled Wednesday’s launch attempt due to unfavorable weather conditions for recovering the boosters at sea – and the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron is warning of a low to moderate risk of more bad conditions. Overall, the squadron expects the weather to be 75% ready for launch at the start of the launch window, dropping to 60% by late morning.

Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX and NASA rocket launch schedule from Florida

Update 11:41 am: The Falcon 9 first stage booster has just landed in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions, completing its 15th mission.

Update 11:33 am: SpaceX has just launched the Falcon 9 with 21 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40 on the Cape Canaveral space station.

Update 11:28 am: The SpaceX launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted above, just below the countdown clock.

The launch from Space Force Station Cape Canaveral is scheduled for four minutes.

Update 11:17 am: Fifteen minutes before SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch attempt, the countdown appears to be going as planned. The rocket’s fueling at Launch Complex 40 is still in full swing.

Below is a list of the key remaining countdown milestones. T-minus:

7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch.
1 minute: The flight control computer begins final pre-takeoff checks; fuel tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
45 seconds: SpaceX’s launch manager confirms clearance for launch.
3 seconds: The engine control gives the command to start the engine ignition sequence.
0 seconds: Launch of the Falcon 9.

Update 11:07 am: According to SpaceX, today’s mission will be the 15th flight of the Falcon 9 first stage.

The booster previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20 and eight Starlink missions.

After stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes and 22 seconds after launch.

During a Starlink mission last week, a booster unexpectedly tipped over during a landing aboard SpaceX’s drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” on August 28, triggering an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Update 11am: SpaceX has just announced that refueling procedures for the Falcon 9 are underway at Launch Complex 40 “as we hope for improving weather.”

This means that the countdown for Starlink tonight is now set and the launch is scheduled to take place at 11:33 a.m. without further delays, otherwise the launch will have to be postponed.

Update 10:51 am: Still no updates from SpaceX on the upcoming launch. As a reminder, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the countdown schedule. T-minus:

38 minutes: SpaceX launch manager confirms release of fuel load.
35 minutes: Loading of the first stage with rocket kerosene and liquid oxygen begins.
16 minutes: The second stage of liquid oxygen loading begins.
7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch.
1 minute: The flight control computer begins final pre-takeoff checks; fuel tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
45 seconds: SpaceX’s launch manager confirms clearance for launch.
3 seconds: The engine control gives the command to start the engine ignition sequence.
0 seconds: Lift up.

Update 10:10 am: This National Weather Service radar loop from Melbourne Orlando International Airport still shows strong precipitation activity off the coast – but this system appears to be moving southward throughout the morning.

Update 9:33 am: SpaceX’s launch attempt is scheduled for a rainy day that will be marked by locally heavy rainfall and flooding in poorly drained areas, the National Weather Service reports.

The weather radar continues to show storms, rainfall and persistent cloud cover just off the coast of Cape Canaveral.

Update 8am: Given the poor weather conditions near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, it’s not surprising that SpaceX has pushed back the scheduled launch time by nearly three hours to 11:33 a.m.

Update 07:53 am: Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at SpaceX’s countdown timeline. T-minus:

35 minutes: Loading of the first stage with rocket kerosene and liquid oxygen begins.
16 minutes: The second stage of liquid oxygen loading begins.
7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch.
1 minute: The flight control computer begins final pre-takeoff checks; fuel tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
45 seconds: SpaceX launch manager confirms clearance for launch.
3 seconds: The engine control gives the command to start the engine ignition sequence.
0 seconds: Lift up.

Update 07:45 am: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of the upcoming launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

NWS weather warning issued for Cape Canaveral

Update 07:30 am: In an ominous announcement, the National Weather Service has issued a special marine advisory until 8 a.m. for coastal and offshore waters extending from Satellite Beach northward to the Brevard-Volusia county line.

The cape is in the middle of this storm zone, where at least one waterspout has been observed and steep waves with wind speeds of up to 63 km/h.

Update 07:22 am: This radar loop from the National Weather Service station at Melbourne Orlando International Airport shows severe storms just offshore near Cocoa Beach — and a distinct storm area extending from roughly Melbourne north to beyond St. Augustine.

Update 07:05 am: In addition to weather conditions during booster recovery, the 45th Weather Squadron cites cumulus and anvil clouds as the main meteorological concerns.

“Deep moisture will continue to accumulate over the Florida peninsula south of a stalled long-wave trough. A slight change in the pattern will occur Thursday as the surface boundary moves further south and a slight offshore component develops in the middle layers of the atmosphere,” the squadron’s forecast said.

“This will likely result in coastal showers moving towards the coast early in the morning, but storms will develop locally onshore over the spaceport by late morning as the sea breeze boundary develops and becomes difficult to move. In addition, showers and storms may develop over the same areas due to a very slow moving storm,” the forecast said.

“Conditions are best early and improve toward the end of the primary launch window,” the forecast says.

For the latest news and launch schedules from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.

Rick Neale is a space reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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NWS weather warning issued for Cape Canaveral

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