SpaceX will launch another 23 Starlink Mini V2 satellites in the later evening hours tonight from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch window opens at 10:33 PM EDT and extends to 2:33 AM EDT Thursday. The booster used for the mission will land downrange on the droneship ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, so there will not be a sonic boom on the Space Coast tonight.

Payload

23 Starlink satellites, to be used in SpaceX’s orbital-based Internet service. They are manufactured at SpaceX’s Starlink manufacturing facility in Redmond, Washington.

SpaceX recently announced that it has three million subscribers worldwide in nearly one hundred countries. This follows its announcement of 2.7 million subscribers in April and clearly shows that the service is growing rapidly.

Weather

 Tonight’s forecast is as good as it gets this time of year on the Space Coast: the 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force has forecast only a 5% chance of a weather-related range violation (POV), meaning that they expect a 95% chance for acceptable weather through the launch window. The same forecast remains effectively the same should technical reasons delay tonight’s launch: a 5% POV with a 95% chance of acceptable conditions on the range.

The 45th provides a good description of conditions in their forecast discussion: “East-northeasterly winds are expected today around an area of low pressure to the east of Florida that will continue to drift farther east through the day. With the onshore flow, a few showers or a storm may move across the Spaceport at times, with the highest chances midday with the development of the east coast sea breeze. As this feature moves farther out to sea on Wednesday, it will pull in drier air that will limit shower and storm chances along the coast for mid-week.”

Sky Cover

The National Weather Center forecasts that roughly 15% of the sky will be covered by clouds during the launch window. These estimates are often hit-or-miss and are highly local, but are interesting if you are planning to view the launch in person.

Trajectory

Falcon 9 will take a southeasterly direction tonight, as is customary for Group 6 Starlink missions.

Given that the flight is immediately offshore with no return to launch site, there will be no sonic boom from the launch on the Space Coast.

Booster: B-1080

According to SpaceX on the official mission page, the booster used tonight will be on its eighth mission: “This is the eighth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched ESA Euclid, Ax-2, Ax-3, CRS-30, and three Starlink missions.”

That’s B-1080, which last flew on April 18th.

Booster B1080
Flight Number	Mission	Date
1	Axiom-2	May 21, 2023
2	Euclid	July 1, 2023
3	Starlink 6-11	August 27 2023
4	Starlink 6-24	October 22, 2023
5	Axiom-3	January 18, 2024
6	CRS-30	March 21, 2024
7	Starlink 6-52	April 18, 2024

Countdown Timeline

There are key events in the countdown that you may hear called out in launch coverage.

Remember that once Propellant Loading (T-minus thirty-eight minutes) starts, Falcon 9 is committed to the launch attempt. Because of the nature of the cryogenic fuels used to power the rockets, any hold precludes a later launch attempt the same day. While it only rarely happens, there have been occasions where that has happened, and a launch scrub is called for the day’s attempt.

SpaceX provides the following countdown milestones on their mission information page:

Hours:Minutes:Seconds	Event
00:38:00	SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00	RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:00	1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:00	2nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00	Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00	Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00	Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45	SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03	Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00	Falcon 9 liftoff

Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight

SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:

Hours:Minutes:Seconds	Event
00:00:00	Liftoff
00:01:11	Max-Q (Moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:26	1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30	1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:36	2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:56	Fairing deployment
00:06:09	1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:33	1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:59	1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:22	1st stage landing
00:08:41	2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:08	2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:10	2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:05:17	Starlink satellites deploy

All events up to the end of the 1st stage entry burn should be visible for launch spectators watching the launch in person, so long as clouds are not blocking the viewer’s line of sight. Fairing separation is generally only visible during daytime launches and then only using advanced optics like high-powered binoculars or a super-telephoto lens (500mm+).

Watching Online

SpaceCoastLaunchCalendar.com will have a livestream of the launch if you’re not able to watch the launch in person: Livestream

SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 6-62 This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.

Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link

For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.

Space Launch Schedule, an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.

Launch Viewing: In Person

This evening’s planned launch is from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral, which means that the best direct views of liftoff are: 

• Banana River Bridge on FL-528 W in Cape Canaveral
• Kennedy Point Park in Titusville
• Rotary Riverfront Park in Titusville

Restaurants With Good Launch Views

Given the late hour of the launch, most local businesses will be closed for the night. Space Bar may still be open for the beginning of the launch window. Call ahead if you are interested in viewing from there to be sure.

• The Space Bar ($$$) – atop the Courtyard Marriott near Kennedy Parkway
• New York New York ($$) – on the Indian River with an outdoor seating area. Is family-friendly.
• Shiloh’s ($$$) — located on the Indian River with an outdoor deck overlooking KSC/CCSFS

Other Viewing Locations

Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach Pier, Jetty Park Pier will have indirect views, meaning that liftoff will not be visible, but after the rocket clears the pad and any ground obstructions, you will be able to see Falcon 9 ascending clearly assuming there are no clouds between you and the rocket.

Be prepared for potential changes or pushbacks in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.

Jetty Park will be closed at the time of the launch, but viewers can walk up the beach to the area.

Interesting Stats

• 54th launch by SpaceX this year
• 25th launch from SLC-40 this year
• 5 days, 22:13:00 turnaround for this pad
• 365th SpaceX launch all time
• 311th Falcon Family Booster landing
• 82nd landing on JRTI
• 266th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (excluding Amos-6) (if successful)

Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time