SpaceX launched their 41st mission of 2025 this evening from Cape Canaveral when the company sent the Starlink 6-78 mission to low Earth orbit aboard Falcon 9. Liftoff was at 11:07 PM EDT and into clear but hazy skies skies on a seasonal night here on the Space Coast.
SpaceX will attempt to finally launch Starlink 10-2 tomorrow, after a pair of weather-related scrubs and one abort-at-ignition last week. After the hard-shutdown, the company has re-assigned a new booster for the launch, and has returned the one originally slated for the mission to Hangar X for closer inspection and repairs.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast is pessimistic for a launch attempt tomorrow. The 45th Weather Squadron gives only a 50% chance of acceptable weather at the start of the launch window, with deteriorating chances as the afternoon progresses. We’ll see…weather can and does turn on a dime on the Space Coast.
That said, B1078 has replaced B1073 for this mission and is now set to fly for its 11th time with a 26-day turnaround. As is the norm with most Starlink missions, B1078 will land at sea aboard ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas,’ meaning there will be no sonic boom over the Space Coast.
22 Starlink Mini V2 satellites, to be used in SpaceX’s orbital-based Internet service.
The 45th Weather Squadron says in their forecast that, “Deep tropical moisture will remain entrenched across the Florida peninsula into early next week, and as a result, scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms can be expected each day, largely favoring the afternoon and evening hours.”
The planned trajectory for the launch is northeast, or right-to-left if you are facing the Atlantic Ocean on Florida’s east coast. Depending on the time of day and the weather in their location, people living to the north of the Space Coast may see the rocket as it ascends.
According to SpaceX, tonight’s booster previously launched “Crew-6, mPOWER-B, USSF-124, and seven Starlink missions.” and will be on its eleventh mission overall. That’s Booster B1078.
B1078 last flew May 28, 2024, twenty-six days ago.
| Booster B1078 | ||
| Flight Number | Payload | Date |
| 1 | Crew-6 | March 2, 2023 |
| 2 | O3b mPOWER 3 & 4 | April 28, 2023 |
| 3 | Starlink 6-4 | June 4, 2023 |
| 4 | Starlink 6-8 | August 7, 2023 |
| 5 | Starlink 6-16 | September 16, 2023 |
| 6 | Starlink 6-31 | December 3, 2023 |
| 7 | USSF-124 | February 14, 2024 |
| 8 | Starlink 6-46 | March 25, 2024 |
| 9 | Starlink 6-53 | April 23, 2024 |
| 10 | Starlink 6-60 | May 28, 2024 |
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 |
Via SpaceX
Typical SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only.
SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:
| Hours:Minutes:Seconds | Event |
| 00:00:00 | Liftoff |
| 00:01:10 | Max-Q (Moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) |
| 00:02:24 | 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) |
| 00:02:28 | 1st and 2nd stages separate |
| 00:02:35 | 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1) |
| 00:02:54 | Fairing deployment |
| 00:06:09 | 1st stage entry burn begins |
| 00:06:33 | 1st stage entry burn ends |
| 00:07:53 | 1st stage landing burn begins |
| 00:08:18 | 1st stage landing |
| 00:08:38 | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) |
| 00:43:50 | 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2) |
| 00:43:52 | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2) |
| 00:52:44 | 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.
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 10-2. 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.
Next Space Launch 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.
This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-40, on the south side of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The southern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.
Given the early hours of the launch window (7:30AM – 11:30AM EDT) these restaurants may not be open for launch viewing. Later in the day, all three may well be, so if you are interested, be sure to call ahead to make sure they’ll be ready to serve you.
There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-40 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.
Playalinda Beach out on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore will be open to spectators until 8 PM EDT, that is if KSC Security and the National Park Service allow viewers for the launch. It opens to visitors at 6 AM.
Call ahead to be sure.
Cape Canaveral National Seashore • Playalinda Beach
Phone: (386) 428-3384 x0
Current operating hours: 6:00 AM–8:00 PM
If you are going to Playalinda, and if it is open, remember these general tips. Some may not apply to this particular launch.
Be prepared for potential changes or pushbacks in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.
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 cancel at any time.
About forty-five minutes before today’s scheduled liftoff, SpaceX announced that they were scrubbing for the day and would try to launch Falcon 9 tomorrow morning:
SpaceX added on their website later that, “Liftoff is targeted for 7:30 a.m. ET, with opportunities available until 11:28 a.m. ET.”
Updated added 3pm May 27, 2024
—
SpaceX has set the launch of another 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 Monday morning from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. According to the company, “Liftoff is targeted for 7:30 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 11:30 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Tuesday, May 28 starting at 7:30 a.m. ET.”
The booster used for the mission will land downrange on the droneship Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’, which will be on station northeast of The Bahamas. Since the mission is not a Return To Launch Site mission, there won’t be any sonic boom on the Space Coast.
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, are estimated to weigh 750-800 kg apiece and are about 3.0 meters (9.84 feet) long and 1.3 meters (3.94 feet) wide at liftoff. When a Starlink Mini V2 extends its solar panels, it is an estimated 98.5 feet in diameter.
Weather for the launch is again highly favorable, with 95% chances of acceptable weather in the start of the launch window, and slightly degrading to “only” 90% acceptable later in the day. If for some reason the launch doesn’t happen on Monday, the planned backup window is also good, but night quite as good as Monday: opening at a 90% chance of favorable range conditions, as Tuesday morning progresses, cumulus clouds drop the chances of acceptable weather at 85%.
In short, chances are very good that weather will not be a limiting factor for this mission.
The National Weather Center forecasts that roughly 10% of the sky will be covered by clouds during the launch window.
These estimates are hit-or-miss and in any case are highly local, but are interesting if you are planning to view the launch in person.
Falcon 9 will take a southeasterly direction tonight towards The Bahamas, as is customary for all Group 6 Starlink missions. Spectators looking toward the Atlantic Ocean from shore will see the rocket flying left to right.
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.
According to SpaceX’s Starlink 6-60 Mission page, “This is the 10th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and six Starlink missions.”
That’s Booster B078, which last flew late last month on the Starlink 6-53 mission.
| Booster B1078 | ||
| Flight Number | Payload | Date |
| 1 | Crew-6 | March 2, 2023 |
| 2 | O3b mPOWER 3 & 4 | April 28, 2023 |
| 3 | Starlink 6-4 | June 4, 2023 |
| 4 | Starlink 6-8 | August 7, 2023 |
| 5 | Starlink 6-16 | September 16, 2023 |
| 6 | Starlink 6-31 | December 3, 2023 |
| 7 | USSF-124 | February 14, 2024 |
| 8 | Starlink 6-46 | March 25, 2024 |
| 9 | Starlink 6-53 | April 23, 2024 |
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 |
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+).
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 6-60 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.
This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-40, on the south side of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The southern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.
Given the early hours of the launch window (7:30AM – 11:30AM EDT) these restaurants may not be open for launch viewing. Later in the day, all three may well be, so if you are interested, be sure to call ahead to make sure they’ll be ready to serve you.
There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-40 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.
Playalinda Beach out on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore will be open to spectators, that is, if KSC Security and the National Park Service allow viewers for the launch. It opens to visitors at 6 AM.
This varies from launch to launch, but as a general rule, they have allowed spectators to watch Starlink launches from the beach. A now-dwindling brush fire near Beach Road may affect Playalinda plans, so call ahead to be sure.
Cape Canaveral National Seashore • Playalinda Beach
Phone: (386) 428-3384 x0
Current operating hours: 6:00 AM–8:00 PM
If you are going to Playalinda, and if it is open, remember these general tips. Some may not apply to this particular launch.
Be prepared for potential changes or pushbacks in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.
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 cancel at any time.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 booster carrying 23 more Starlink V2 Mini satellites to orbit tonight from Pad SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Station. Launch was at 7:42 PM EDT, and was successful and the booster used for the mission — B1078 — safely touched down off the Bahamas eight minutes and twenty-five seconds later.
SpaceX has now more launched more than 6,000 Starlink satellites for their orbiting constellation that provides Internet service to more than two million customers globally. Nearly 5,700 of those satellites are currently operational.
When a given Starlink satellite is designated inactive, it is purposely sent for a safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it burns up safely. The same will happen to the Falcon 9 second stage used for tonight’s mission: it too will be sent back into the atmosphere, where it will also burn up safely. These maneuvers prevent Starlink from creating any “space junk.”
Booster B1078 successfully completed its 8th flight tonight.
B1078 was first entered service in March, 2023 when it launched Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Sultan Al Neyadi and Andrey Fedyaev to the International Space Station as part of NASA/SpaceX’s Crew-6 for the Commercial Crew Program. Since that maiden launch, it has also lofted SES O3b mPOWER, USSF-124, and now five Starlink missions.
After the landing, ASOG will return to Port Canaveral with the booster. It will then be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility on Roberts Road inside Kennedy Space Center for inspection, refurbishment and possible preparation for its next mission, which will be its 20th.
| Booster B1078 | ||
| Flight Number | Payload | Date |
| 1 | Crew-6 | March 2, 2023 |
| 2 | O3b mPOWER 3 & 4 | April 28, 2023 |
| 3 | Starlink 6-4 | June 4, 2023 |
| 4 | Starlink 6-8 | August 7, 2023 |
| 5 | Starlink 6-16 | September 16, 2023 |
| 6 | Starlink 6-31 | December 3, 2023 |
| 7 | USSF-124 | February 14, 2024 |
| 8 | Starlink 6-46 | March 25, 2024 |
United Launch Alliance is planning to launch its final Delta IV Heavy from SLC-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Delta IV Heavy is the world’s second highest-capacity rocket in operation. After this launch, SLC-37 will be shuttered and is currently being studied by the US Space Force and SpaceX for potential use for the company’s Starship Heavy.
The launch window extends from 1:40 until 6:51 PM EDT.
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