Brevard Space Coast launch sites rockets spaceX ULA NASA
A quick look at which rockets lift off from various Brevard launch sites.
Unprecedented: SpaceX’s next rocket launch, which is scheduled for late Friday night, will mark the record-extending 70th this year from Cape Canaveral.
And afterward — with nine days remaining on the 2023 calendar — will SpaceX send up another orbital launch or two for good measure?
Though SpaceX has yet to publicly confirm the Friday mission’s existence, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning indicates a rocket launch window will open at 11 p.m. EST Friday. The window lasts past midnight to 3:31 a.m. Saturday. More details:
- Starlink 6-32 mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Location: Launch Complex 40.
- Trajectory: Southeast.
- Local sonic boom: No.
- Booster landing: Drone ship out on the Atlantic Ocean.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
More: Drone deliveries: Florida Tech showcases autonomous aircraft, touts future economic clout
On Monday night, SpaceX similarly launched a Falcon 9 carrying 23 Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit.
The former all-time record of 57 annual orbital launches from the Cape was established last year.
On Friday night, the National Weather Service predicts a 20% chance of showers and mostly cloudy skies at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with a low around 62 accompanied by an east-northeast wind around 10 mph.
More specifically, the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron forecasts a 70% chance of “go for launch” weather early during the launch window, decreasing to 60% by the end.
“On Friday evening a weak inverted trough will move near the Spaceport, enhancing the cloud coverage. The primary weather concerns for Friday evening are the Thick Cloud Layers Rule and Cumulus Cloud Rule associated with the trough and onshore flow,” the squadron’s forecast said.
Looking ahead to Dec. 28, SpaceX hopes to launch a Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, a secretive Space Force space plane, on the USSF-52 mission at 7 p.m. from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
To check out the latest launch schedule updates at the Cape, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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