Time, it is said, waits for no man — and that must be equally true for SpaceX’s cadence of Starlink launches. The company plans to get right back to action tonight by launching the Starlink 6-42 mission from Pad LC39-A at Kennedy Space Center.

The launch was originally scheduled for Friday evening, but fickle Florida weather caused SpaceX to stand down several hours before the planned liftoff. Tonight’s weather is greatly improved from yesterday, but there is still a roughly one-in-four chance of a weather related scub.

SpaceX says that they are “Targeting Saturday, March 23 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 7:39 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 11:29 p.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Sunday, March 24 starting at 7:06 p.m. ET.”

Weather

The 45th Weather Squadron issued a forecast yesterday at 3:00 PM EDT, saying that “On Saturday, [a] low pressure will be tracking up the Eastern Seaboard, leaving the Spaceport with northwesterly winds and isolated, wrap-around showers.” As a result, the primary concerns that may cause a Violation of weather conditions are high winds in the launch area and cumulus clouds.

As Talk of Titusville publisher Michael Lynch often says, “It’s Florida.” By that he means that the weather can and does turn on a dime and tonight could go either way, but unlike yesterday, chances look good for a liftoff during the launch window.

Trajectory

Southeast, as has been customary for Group 6 Starlink payloads.

Booster

SpaceX will be using Booster B1060 for the nineteenth time tonight. Previous missions include GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, Intelsat G-33/G-34, Transporter-6, Intuitive Machines IM-1, and 12 Starlink missions.

Landing is planned to be aboard SpaceX’s Automated Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) “Just Read The Instructions” northeast of the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean.

Booster B-1060
Flight Number	Payload	Date
1	GPS III SV03	June 30, 2020
2	Starlink L11	September 3, 2020
3	Starlink L14	October 24, 2020
4	Türksat 5A	January 8, 2021
5	Starlink L18	February 4. 2021
6	Starlink L22	March 24, 2021
7	Starlink L24	April 29, 2021
8	Transporter-2	June 20, 2021
9	Starlink 4-3	December 2, 2021
10	Starlink 4-6	January 19, 2022
11	Starlink 4-9	March 3, 2022
12	Starlink 4-14	April 21. 2022
13	Starlink 4-19	June 17, 2022
14	Galaxy 34 / 35	October 8, 2022
15	Transporter-6	January 3. 2023
16	Starlink 5-15	July 16, 2023
17	Starlink 6-18	September 24, 2024
18	IM-1 Odysseus Lander	February 15, 2024
19	Starlink 6-42	Planned: March 23, 2024

Online Viewing

A live webcast of this mission will begin on SpaceX’s X account feed about five minutes prior to liftoff. 
Watch live on X.

SpaceX’s official web page has links to live coverage as well as up-to-date planned launch times. Starlink 6-42 Mission Page.

Spaceflight Now will begin its live launch feed one hour prior to liftoff.
SFN on Youtube.

Live Viewing

Tonight’s launch is an evening launch from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Here’s a guide for crewed launches, which are also from LC-39A, and it has maps and more information.

Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center has no mention of launch viewing for tonight. Given that the launch window opens after they close, it is unlikely they are offering any opportunities or tickets for this launch.

Direct Views

Playalinda Beach is open until 8 PM. If the launch time is pushed after that, the beach is usually closed by rangers. This is a risky option and it is highly (as in “you better”) recommended to contact the National Park Service for direct information about whether the beach will be open for the launch. Personally, I do not recommend it, because it is a likely disappointing trip.

Telephone: Voice: 386-428-3384 x0

Keep in mind that an entry fee is required to enter Playalinda Beach. Cash is not accepted.

The northern parks in Titusville are a better bet, all of which will be open. Better yet, they are free of charge.

In particular, the Max Brewer Bridge’s pedestrian walkways are a great place to view the launch, and you can park nearby and hike up the bridge. Being a Saturday night, it will likely be crowded. Go early if that is the choice you make.

Other good choices are Space View Park (near the western end of the Max Brewer Bridge), Rotary Riverfront Park and others.

Indirect Views

Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach Pier, Jetty Park Pier, the Banana River Bridge and others are decent, but they are also pretty far from the launch pad. As such, it will not be very loud and you will not see liftoff, but will be able to see the rising rocket quite easily.