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    • Live updates from Friday’s Starlink mission from Cape
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    Live updates from Friday’s Starlink mission from Cape

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

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    Launch summary: Scroll down to watch live updates from Friday, October 18, the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral as part of the Starlink 8-19 mission.

    Original story: Gusty launch winds at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station may have played a role in postponing Thursday’s launch – and today’s wind forecast looks even worse. But will the Falcon 9 rocket still fly tonight?

    Welcome to the FLORIDA TODAY Space team’s live coverage of tonight’s SpaceX Starlink 8-19 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

    SpaceX aims to launch the Falcon 9 at 7:31 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40. However, the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron is predicting only a 40% chance that the weather will launch during this window, citing launch winds and low temperatures – Moderate chance of adverse weather for booster recovery out in the Atlantic Ocean.

    “Gusty winds will develop through the end of the week as onshore gradients increase due to increasing high pressure,” a squadron forecast said.

    The Falcon 9 will deploy a series of 20 Starlink internet satellites. No sonic booms expected in Central Florida. After rocketing into the sky on a northeast trajectory, the rocket is expected to land at sea aboard a SpaceX drone ship about eight minutes after launch.

    Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? SpaceX, NASA and ULA’s upcoming rocket launch plan from Florida

    Update 7:39 p.m.: The Falcon 9 first stage booster just landed in the Atlantic Ocean aboard SpaceX’s Just Read the Instructions drone ship, completing its 17th mission.

    Update 7:31 p.m.: SpaceX just launched the Falcon 9 carrying 20 Starlink satellites – including 13 with direct-to-cell communications capabilities – from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

    Update 7:27 p.m.: SpaceX’s launch webcast, hosted on X (formerly Twitter), is now posted above, just below the countdown clock.

    Stay tuned: Launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled in four minutes.

    Update 7:18 p.m.: Thirteen minutes before SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch attempt, the countdown appears to be going as planned. Missile refueling at Launch Complex 40 continues.

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

    • 7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch.
    • 1 minute: The command flight computer begins the final checks before takeoff. Pressurization of the fuel tank to flight pressure begins.
    • 45 seconds: SpaceX launch director confirms “initiate launch.”
    • 3 seconds: The engine control commands the start of the engine ignition sequence.
    • 0 seconds: Falcon 9 launch.

    SpaceX booster to land on drone ship

    Update 7:11 p.m.: Tonight’s mission marks the 17th flight of the Falcon 9 first stage, SpaceX reported.

    The well-traveled launch vehicle previously launched mPOWER-C, OneWeb 2, Intelsat 40e, Digital Globe 2, Turksat-6A, Eutelsat 36X, Ovzon-3, CRS-26 and eight Starlink missions.

    After stage separation, crews expect the launch vehicle to land on the SpaceX Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff.

    Update 7 p.m.: Visual evidence suggests SpaceX has begun refueling the Falcon 9 at Launch Complex 40.

    This means that the Starlink countdown for tonight is now underway and the launch can take place at 7:31 p.m. without delays. Otherwise the start will have to be postponed.

    Update 6:42 p.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.

    Emergency Operations Center officials noted that today’s launch window is only 10 minutes long, from 7:21 p.m. to 7:31 p.m

    Update 6:32 p.m.: As of 5:55 p.m., a northeasterly wind was blowing at the Cape Canaveral space station at a speed of 12 miles per hour, the National Weather Service reported.

    Gusts of up to 30 miles per hour are forecast tonight. A coastal flood warning remains in effect until 2 p.m. Sunday, and forecasters are warning of the risk of high currents along the Brevard County coast late into Sunday night.

    Offshore sea swells could reach 6 feet to 9 feet by Sunday, triggering a minor warning for boats.

    Update 6:14 p.m.: “Teams are keeping an eye on the weather,” SpaceX officials said in an afternoon tweet.

    SpaceX only publishes basic information about Starlink missions on the company’s website and via

    Update 5:58 p.m.: On Thursday, the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron released an updated forecast for today’s launch window and Saturday’s backup launch window.

    The chance of favorable starting weather is 40% today and rises to 60% on Saturday.

    “Strong onshore flow will continue throughout the weekend as high pressure will continue across the eastern United States. Humidity will be slow to return, but some isolated landward showers are possible until the backup day,” the squadron forecast said.

    “The primary concern remains lift-off winds with the addition of the cumulus cloud rule for Saturday,” the forecast said.

    For the latest news 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

    Space is important to us, which is why we work to bring you the best coverage of the industry and launches in Florida. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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