Check this page for live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch updates.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster arrives at Port Canaveral after maritime accident
On December 26, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster that crashed and was severely damaged while sailing passed Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill in Port Canaveral.
Welcome to the FLORIDA TODAY space team. Tonight’s SpaceX Starlink 6-37 mission will be broadcast live from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX has postponed its target launch time to 8:52 p.m. ET to launch its Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 will deploy 23 Starlink internet satellites packed inside a fairing atop the 230-foot rocket. The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts an 80 percent chance of “go to launch” weather, with a thick layer of clouds being the main risk.
SpaceX has not disclosed why Saturday’s Starlink 6-37 mission was postponed.
No localized sonic booms are expected tonight. The rocket’s first stage booster will rise skyward along a southeastern trajectory before aiming to land on a drone ship at sea about eight and a half minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX’s live webcast, hosted on X (formerly Twitter), will be posted at the top of this page when it becomes available approximately 5 minutes before launch.
Update at 7:26pm: SpaceX just announced that tonight’s launch has been postponed again and will now be at 8:52 p.m.
Additional backup opportunities are available if needed until 11:25 p.m.
Update at 7:15pm: The National Weather Service’s radar loop shows a line of showers gradually moving southward away from Cape Canaveral.
Updated at 6:48pm: SpaceX crews have postponed tonight’s target launch time from 7:27 to 8:05 p.m.
The Space Coast is experiencing heavy rain and thick clouds throughout the afternoon and evening.
For updates on the latest launch schedules from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, please visit: floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
rick neil He’s a space reporter for FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his story, go to click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1