SpaceX to launch Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now

Update 4:38 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is moving to their 24-hour backup date for the launch and is targeting liftoff no earlier the Friday, Oct. 18.

Update 5:08 p.m. EDT: Adding new forecast information for the updated launch opportunity.

SpaceX is preparing to launch its third batch of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit since Monday morning, however winds at the Cape may prove challenging.

Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for no earlier than 7:31 p.m. EDT (2331 UTC) on Friday, Oct. 18. If SpaceX is unable to launch at that time, they likely have a 24-hour backup opportunity on Saturday.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.

Thursday evening, the 45th Weather Squadron issued a launch weather forecast for the new launch date of Friday, which showed only a 40 percent chance of favorable weather at liftoff. Liftoff winds were forecast to be between 19 and 26 miles per hour.

“Strong onshore flow will continue through the weekend as the high pressure across the eastern U.S. will persist. Moisture will be slow to return, but some isolated onshore-moving showers are possible by the backup day,” meteorologists said. “The primary concern remains Liftoff Winds with the addition of the Cumulus Cloud Rule for Saturday.”

If SpaceX decides to push to Saturday, the chance of favorable weather increases to 60 percent. Both launch dates show the booster recovery weather as somewhere between low and moderate risk.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster will target a touchdown on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ If all goes well, this will be the 94th successful booster landing using JRTI and the 355th booster landing to date.

This launch of Starlink satellites will also bring the total number of orbital launches from Florida this year to 71, one shy from tying the total launched in 2023.