Falcon 9 rising off of LC-39A Friday evening Photo: Derek Newsome
It was a good day to have a good day here in Florida, and that’s exactly what NASA, SpaceX and Crew 10 had today at Kennedy Space Center.
Falcon 9 lifted off, carrying three astronauts and one cosmonaut toward orbit and the International Space Station just as the sun was starting to set in the west. Some seven and a half minutes later, SpaceX booster B1090 completed its duty for the day by landing at LZ-1 in Cape Canaveral, 8.8 miles south of LC-39A.
Liftoff of Crew 10. Photo: Charles Boyer
Mechanical issues had delayed this launch, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th, but hydraulic issues with ground-side equipment scotched that attempt, with the second launch attempt planned for today. This evening’s attempt was literally picture-perfect, and Falcon 9 rose like clockwork after a quiet countdown.
Can’t help but cheer: press photographers capturing the launch of Crew 10. Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
Crew Dragon Endurance is now in orbit, with NASA Astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, JAXA Astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov aboard. The spacecraft will track down ISS, with docking planned to dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET tomorrow.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
While not officially announced by SpaceX, Starlink 12-16 is expected to launch early Saturday morning.
Organization: SpaceX
Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Rocket: Falcon 9
Pad: Space Launch Complex 40
Status: To Be Confirmed
Status Info: Awaiting official confirmation – current date is known with some certainty due to information found at secondary sources.
Window Opens: Saturday, 03/15/2025 6:28:00 AM
Window Closes: Saturday, 03/15/2025 10:59:00 AM
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission Description: A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
Crew 10 Launch Gallery
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvillePhoto: Derek NewsomePhoto: Derek Newsome
The FAA released a statement today announcing the draft results of an Environmental Assessment for more than doubling the allowable launch operations at SpaceX’s facility at Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral starting in 2026. The assessment also contains information on the construction and operation of a landing zone at SLC-40 with up to 34 first-stage booster landings at the new landing zone annually.
The document outlines a Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
Falcon 9
Talk of Titusville first reported on SpaceX’s plans to build a new landing zone at SLC-40 in January of this year. In 2023, the 2-pad launch site has been allocated to Cocoa, Florida based Vaya Space and also Phantom Space through the Department of the Air Force’s Launch Pad Allocation Strategy (LPAS), a program designed to support the commercial space market and demand at the Eastern Range.
FAA Statement
The FAA is posting for public review a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzing the SpaceX proposal to increase Falcon 9 operations from 50 to up to 120 per year from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Draft EA also reviews the construction of a first-stage booster landing zone at the site with up to 34 landings per year.
In order to meet the Department of the Air Force (DAF) National Environmental Policy Act requirements, the FAA has also posted a link to the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for public comment on behalf of DAF.
A virtual public meeting will be held on April 16 and the public comment period closes on April 24, 2025.
“The FAA has preliminarily concluded that the Proposed Action would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.”
No Adverse Effects On Natural Resources / Energy Use
[The FAA has preliminarily concluded that] “the Proposed Action is not expected to contribute in any substantive 17 manner to adverse cumulative effects to supplies of natural resources or energy use.”
Negligible Effects On Increased Hazardous Waste
“Cumulative effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions with the Proposed 13 Action would not contribute a noticeable incremental effect from hazardous materials and waste.”
Minimal Effect On Public Parks And Recreation
“Reasonably foreseeable future actions in the area, such as SLS launches at LC-39B, may require temporary closures of both the refuge and the seashore by USFWS and NPS. These temporary closures are related to crowd control and access for emergency services and are not related to a public safety hazard from a launch. If any such closures were to occur, they would be both infrequent and temporary in nature. As a result, the cumulative effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions with the Proposed Action are not expected to result in a significant impact to [publicly owned park and recreation areas that are open to the general public.] resources.”
No Significant Adverse Effect On Land Use
“The Proposed Action would not result in significant adverse cumulative land use impacts.”
No Significant Cumulative Effects On Coastal Resources
“There would be no significant cumulative effects to coastal resources.”
Little Effect On Wildlife
“Several of the projects [..] include construction and development in both undisturbed and 37 previously disturbed areas. Disturbance to existing launch areas or other developed and semi-developed 38 The FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation Cumulative Effects Draft Environmental Assessment 4-10 March 2025 Falcon 9 Operations at SLC-40 sites would have little effect on wildlife because these areas have limited habitat value.”
Some Effect On Wetland Habitats
“The Proposed 1 Action and some of the actions in Table 4-2 involve clearing of native upland habitat. Some of the actions 2 in Table 4-2 could also potentially involve clearing and/or filling of a limited amount of wetland habitat. 3 The Proposed Action would not directly affect wetlands; potential impacts would consist of 4 construction -related sedimentation from runoff.”
“Cumulative loss and fragmentation of native upland and 5 wetland habitats may cause long-term effects on wildlife breeding, roosting, or foraging, particularly of 6 individuals with limited mobility and those without corridors to another suitable habitat. Construction 7 noise and general disturbance could cause similar impacts, but the effects would be temporary.”
Have Your Say
A virtual public meeting will be held on April 16 and the public comment period closes on April 24, 2025.
The FAA invites interested parties to submit comments on the Draft EA. Instructions on how to submit comments can be found on the FAA webpage linked here:
Interested parties are invited to submit comments on the Draft EA by April 24, 2025.
The FAA will hold a virtual public meeting on the Draft EA on April 16, 2025, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM (Eastern). Interested parties must register to join the virtual public meeting. Registration is now available at the link below.
If any accommodation for public meeting is needed (such as additional translation services), please submit a request by April 4, 2025 to SpaceXFalconSLC40@icf.com.
Starlink 12-21 as seen from Rotary Riverfront Park in Titusville. Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
It wasn’t the launch we wanted, but it was a launch that we needed after the disappointment of Crew 10 scrubbing earlier in the evening last night: SpaceX launched Starlink with another batch of 21 Starlink satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday evening. Liftoff was at 10:35 PM ET, with Falcon 9 taking the southeasterly familiar path towards The Bahamas as has been the case with all other Starlink Group 20 launches. The mission was successful.
Starlink 12-21’s trajectory Graphic: Talk of Titusville
After multiple delays, Falcon 9 finally flew from SLC-40, ending a rare dry spell of launches from the Eastern Range. This mission was initially delayed for checkouts after an issue with Falcon 9 booster B1086 and Starlink 12-20. On that mission, the booster experienced a fuel leak and was destroyed by fire shortly after landing on March 2 and SpaceX spent time reviewing data from that event and also making sure it would not repeat itself during last night’s flight.
A crowd gathered at Rotary Riverfront Park to watch the flight of Falcon 9 from SLC-40 last night. The rocket’s plume of flame temporarily turned night into day and vividly reflected light off of the Indian River. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
High winds at ground level scrubbed a launch attempt on Monday. SpaceX announced an attempt but did not fuel the Falcon 9 used for Starlink12-21 on Tuesday, following the launch of NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions from Vandenberg Space Force Base and also because of the then-upcoming launch of Crew-10 (which was delayed last night after a hydraulic issue on the launch pad.)
After completing its part in the ascent of the mission, booster B1069 landed successfull on ASDS A Shortfall Of Gravitas after its 22nd flight. There have no reports of a repetition of the issue that ended B1086’s lifetime. ASOG and B1069 will now travel to Port Canaveral where the booster will be unloaded, transported to SpaceX’s refurbishment facility at Kennedy Space Center and ostensibly prepared for its next flight at some future date.
Mission Description: SpaceX Crew-10 is the tenth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Crew Dragon on top of Falcon 9 at LC-39A, March 12, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Some days you’re the bug, other days you’re the windshield.
The scheduled Wednesday launch of the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station was scrubbed last night with a little more than forty six minutes left on the countdown clock. The delay stemmed from a malfunction in the hydraulic system of a ground support clamp arm attached to the Falcon 9 rocket, located at SpaceX’s Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Crew Safe And Still In Florida
The crew—comprising NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov—departed the Dragon spacecraft following the cancellation and will remain in Florida for the time being awaiting a new launch window.
NASA Astronauts Anne McClain (left) and Nichole Ayers (right) departing the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) on their way to LC-39A and Falcon 9 on March 12, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
The earliest rescheduled launch window is now set for no sooner than Friday, March 14th at 7:06 PM ET in an instantaneous window. That date is dependant on remediations of the hydraulic issue at the launch pad. At this time, the Falcon 9 vehicle itself and the Crew Dragon the astronauts will fly aboard is in good condition.
Weather
Weatherwise, the U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron has not released a new Launch Mission Execution forecast for tomorrow. General forecasts for the Cape are showing a minimal chance of rain with easterly winds between 5-10 MPH with gusts not being a great deal higher than that. Keep in mind that the general forecasts do not consider launch criteria and cover much larger area than the ascent corridor at and above LC-39A, so the 45th may have a different outlook on the probability of acceptable conditions.
Another consideration will be winds and seas along the ascent corridor. That must be within acceptable conditions. Reliable forecasts for winds at the altitudes Falcon 9 will be at are not available at this time. Bottom line: wait for the 45th Weather Squadron’s forecast to draw any conclusions about weather conditions for the launch.
Should the Crew-10 mission proceed on March 14, the preceding Crew-9 team—consisting of NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov—would undock from the space station NET Tuesday, March 18. That timeline remains contingent on suitable weather conditions at the designated splashdown zones off Florida’s coast and may change over the next few days.
Falcon 9 and Crew 10 at LC-39A on March 12, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Rocket Cargo illustration U.S. Air Force illustration/Randy Palmer
The Department of the Air Force has selected an isolated Pacific island as a test site for landing rockets designed to deliver cargo quickly across the globe. The department announced its intent on Monday to build two rocket landing pads on Johnston Island, part of Johnston Atoll, a U.S. territory located roughly 818 nautical miles westwards of Honolulu. This information was published in a notice in the Federal Register.
Location of Johnston Island, relative to Hawai’i and the continenal US.
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket Cargo Program plans to lease commercial rockets to transport cargo more efficiently than traditional aircraft. According to the program’s website, the goal is to deliver up to 100 tons of cargo anywhere on the planet within tactical timelines.
Currently, the information is very generic and non-specific — no designation of launch sites, for example — but one would assume SpaceX has a strong lead in providing this capability with Starship.
AFRL expects to award several contracts to develop this capability. The major solicitations and contracts are expected to be awarded to companies that can provide launch services, and companies that can develop concepts to advance the rest of the logistics cycle (loadmaster load/unload capability, rapid launch clearance, schedulers, environment survivability). For launch services, AFRL hopes to award contracts to and partner with all viable commercial providers of this capability to encourage a broad future vendor base for the operational service.
At the same time, other American aerospace companies also have launch and soft landing capabilities, for example, Blue Origin has demonstrated landings of New Shepard boosters and capsules in an operational setting. Further development of that platform could ostensibly make it a contender in this race.
Rocket Lab has designs on reusable soft-landing spacecraft as well and is in the middle of a development cycle for its Neutron vehicle. Neutron is slated to carry about 3,000 kilograms (28,700 lbs) to LEO, suggesting that it would be well short of 100 tons even in a suborbital setting, but at the same time, it is a point to point rocket by design and could just as easily return to its launch site via a second flight from the cargo destination.
All that said, it’s obvious that SpaceX is the 800 lb gorilla in this fight.
Test Cadence Would Be Relatively Slow
The proposed landing pads would support up to 10 rocket reentry landings per year over four years. These tests would evaluate the capabilities of the Rocket Cargo Vanguard program. The department anticipates that the rocket delivery tests will begin this year. Again, details are scant, but that is how the military operates.
Johnston Island Wikimedia Commons
Potential missions for the rocket cargo system include rapidly restoring mission-critical operations and delivering humanitarian aid in disaster relief scenarios.
In October 2020, Army Gen. Stephen Lyons, then head of the U.S. Transportation Command, mentioned working with SpaceX on rocket cargo deliveries, but the recent Federal Register notice does not mention any SpaceX involvement in the current trials. That makes sense, given it is an environmental assessement, but that environmental assessment does not mention any Starship infrastructure. At this time, participants in the trials is not publicly known.
Lyons previously suggested that these rockets could transport the equivalent of a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane’s payload anywhere in the world in under an hour. His remarks, made to the National Defense Transportation Association, were cited in an Air Force news release from October 2020.
U.S. military forces are preparing for potential missile attacks on established bases in a conflict with China over Taiwan or the South China Sea. To increase operational flexibility, the Air Force has been upgrading World War II-era airfields in locations ranging from Micronesia to the Philippines.
Officials considered other locations, including Kwajalein Atoll, Midway Island, and Wake Island, before selecting Johnston Island for the rocket landing site.
Area Is Familiar To The US Military
Johnston Island has a history of military use. The US Navy first started construction on the island in the 1930s and it served as a naval airfield during World War II. During the 1950s and 1960s, it served as a launch site for rockets supporting nuclear tests, notably serving as a key base for Operations Hardtack I and Hardtack II and Operation Fishbowl, all of which tested atomic weapons in the relative vicinity of the island. Between 1958 and 1975, various scientific rockets were also launched from the island. Until 2003, the site was used for the storage of chemical weapons.
A mushroom cloud rises from a nuclear test during Operation Hardtack I in 1958 Source: National Nuclear Security Administration
Environmental Impact Statement Required
Before proceeding with construction, the department must conduct an environmental assessment. This evaluation will examine the potential effects of the landing pads on essential fish habitats, migratory birds, and other protected species. Johnston Atoll is part of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, which adds further environmental considerations to the project.
The Air Force, which includes the Space Force, expects minimal environmental impact from the construction and operation of the landing pads. A draft environmental assessment may be available in April, allowing for a 30-day public comment period.
Photos of the aftermath of atomic testing at Johnston Atoll
Starship Heavy lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas to start the IFT-6 mission. Photo: Richard Gallagher, FMN
SpaceX, never a company to shy away from daunting challenges, said yesterday that it plans to launch its Starship Heavy megarocket from Florida late this year, pending the completion of environmental reviews. Previously, it had been believed that Starship would come in 2026 or even later, due to several factors: permitting, needed construction and incomplete infrastructure needed to launch the 397 foot tall rocket.
The reviews are just one of several obstacles SpaceX will need to overcome in order to actually fly Starship from Florida this year. They will also need to complete the Starship tower that has been at LC-39A for a few years, albeit in a partially finished state. Secondly SpaceX will need to construct propellant infrastructure in or near LC-39A to fuel Starship, and finally, if the company intends to land both the first stage of Starship and the Ship (second stage itself) they will need a second tower for one or the other to settle on after its mission.
Starship tower under construction at LC-39A in 2022 Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
On top of that, SpaceX will need to have a mission-capable Starship ready before the end of the year, unless they are planning to conduct test flights from the Space Coast as well as their headquarters in Texas. At this point in time, it appears that is some months away at a minimum as the company conducts test flights of the new rocket system.
All that said, it is a tall order to complete all of those items in 2025, especially at an active launch pad that is the only one that can currently support Falcon Heavy launches. On the other hand, if there is a company that can execute a demanding project plan quickly, it is SpaceX.
The first stage booster returned to Earth and landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean ~250 nautical miles off the coast of Florida. Following the successful landing, an off-nominal fire in the aft end of the rocket damaged one of the booster’s landing legs which resulted in it tipping over. While disappointing to lose a rocket after a successful mission, the team will use the data to make Falcon even more reliable on ascent and landing
Déjà vu all over again: SpaceX launched another 21 Starlink satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station this evening. Liftoff was at 9:24 PM EST, with Falcon 9 taking the southeasterly familiar path towards The Bahamas as has been the case with all other Starlink Group 20 launches.
Booster B1086 was on duty for its fifth mission this evening, which is completed successfully when it touched down aboard ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’ about 8.25 minutes after launching. Unfortunately, according to SpaceX, the booster was “lost” after “an off-nominal fire in the aft end of the rocket damaged one of the booster’s landing legs which resulted in it tipping over.”
Tonight’s landing was the 419th booster landing and the 112th landing on JRTI.
Twenty-five odd seconds after the booster landed, Falcon 9’s second stage achieved its initial orbit, and at T+ 00:53:58, the second stage refired its Merlin Vacuum engine in a brief orbit-rounding burn prior to payload deployment.
At 10:29 PM EST, SpaceX announced a successful payload deployment, marking the completion of another successful mission for the company, save for the loss of a relatively new booster.
Payload
Starlink satellites are part of SpaceX’s initiative to create a global broadband internet network. Some key facts:
Design: Starlink satellites are flat-panel devices equipped with multiple high-throughput antennas and solar panels. The design allows them to be launched in bulk.
Orbit: They operate in low Earth orbit (LEO) at altitudes ranging from approximately 340 km to 1,200 km. This lowers latency compared to traditional satellites in geostationary orbit.
Constellation: SpaceX has deployed thousands of satellite to date, creating a constellation that can provide extensive coverage and capacity across the globe.
Communication: They use advanced phased-array technology for beam forming, allowing for high-speed data transmission to ground stations and user terminals.
Overall, Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency internet access, especially in rural and underserved areas to nearly five million customers in over 200 countries.
Starlink serves over five million customers in over 100 countries worldwide. The service currently has more than 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
SpaceX’s Starlink 12-21 is planned to launch early Wednesday morning.
Organization: SpaceX
Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Rocket: Falcon 9
Pad: Space Launch Complex 40
Status: To Be Confirmed
Status Info: Awaiting official confirmation – current date is known with some certainty.
Window Opens: Wednesday, 03/05/2025 1:00:00 AM
Window Closes: Wednesday, 03/05/2025 5:31:00 AM
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission Description: A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
The spacecraft successfully established initial communications with mission operators at Caltech’s IPAC in Pasadena, California, at 8:13 PM EST, but telemetry data soon revealed intermittent power problems with Lunar Trailblazer.
Fueled and attached to an adaptor used for secondary payloads, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer is seen at SpaceX’s payload processing facility within NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in early February 2025. The small satellite is riding along on Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 launch. Credit: SpaceX
By early Thursday morning, around 4:30 AM EST, the team lost contact with the satellite. However, several hours later, Lunar Trailblazer’s transmitter powered back on, and engineers are now working with NASA ground stations to restore full communication. Efforts are focused on assessing the spacecraft’s power issues and identifying potential solutions.
Lunar Trailblazer was developed as part of NASA’s SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program, which funds low-cost, high-risk science missions. The initiative allows small spacecraft to hitch a ride alongside larger primary missions, enabling innovative research while accepting a higher level of operational risk.
NASA’S Trailblazer, launching aboard the SpaceX IM-2 mission on February 26, 2025 Photo: Chris Leymarie / Florida Media Now
Weighing a mere 440 pounds and measuring 11.5 feet wide with its solar panels fully deployed, Lunar Trailblazer is about the size of a dishwasher and relies on a relatively small propulsion system to travel cislunar space to lunar orbit. It is employing a low-energy transfer to save weight and to simplify the propulsion system aboard the spacecraft.
SpaceX Falcon 9 IM-2 lifts off from LC-39A at 7:16 PM in the first of two evening launches. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX launched twice from the Cape Wednesday night, as a Falcon 9 carrying Intuitive Machines second lunar lander lifted off at 7:16 PM from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, and three hours and eight minutes later, the company launched another Falcon 9 on the Starlink 12-13 mission.
Both launches were successful.
IM-2 Launch
The Nova-C lunar lander “Athena”, developed by Intuitive Machines, is embarking on its second mission. This mission includes NASA’s PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1), marking the first demonstration of in-situ resource utilization on the Moon. PRIME-1 comprises two key instruments: the TRIDENT drill, designed to extract lunar ice, and the MSolo mass spectrometer, which will analyze the extracted material.
Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission lunar lander, Athena, in the company’s Lunar Production and Operations Center. Photo courtesy Intuitive Machines
Additionally, several other spacecraft are on board:
Lunar Trailblazer, a small-class (D) lunar orbiter under NASA’s SIMPLEx program, is tasked with detecting and mapping water on the Moon’s surface. By analyzing the form, abundance, and distribution of lunar water in relation to geological features, it aims to enhance our understanding of the Moon’s water cycle.
Odin, a spacecraft developed by AstroForge, a company focused on asteroid mining, is set to venture into deep space. Its mission is to observe near-Earth asteroid 2022 OB5 from a distance of approximately one kilometer, providing critical data for AstroForge’s first asteroid retrieval mission. The flyby is expected to take place 11 months after launch.
CHIMERA GEO 1, a transfer spacecraft by Epic Aerospace, is designed to transport payloads into geostationary orbit. On this mission, it carries an unidentified 16U cubesat, manifested by Exolaunch, with the objective of securing an orbital position.
This mission represents a another step in lunar exploration and resource utilization, advancing scientific and commercial ambitions. The Artemis program will be a major beneficiary of IM-2, and if Astroforge is successful on the Odin mission, a new frontier for raw materials and resources may be kicked off. As for Chimera GEO 1, a successful mission will position Epic Aerospace as a viable vendor for satellite delivery to high orbits.
Liftoff of Space Falcon 9 and IM-2 on February 26, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Starlink 12-13
Timelapse of Starlink 12-13. Photo: Chris Leymarie, Florida Media Now
At 10:34 PM EST and 7.5 miles away on Space Launch Complex 40, SpaceX launched for the second time of the day when Falcon 9 launched another batch of 21 satellites for its Starlink mega-constellation.
With over 7,000 satellites in orbit and customers in over one hundred countries, Starlink has been growing rapidly as it provides broadband Internet access to early five million users.
Launch Replay
IM-2
Starlink 12-13
Next Launch
On Saturday, March 1st, SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 and Starlink 12-20 mission from SLC-40 down the Bimini Highway — southeastwards towards The Bahamas. This mission will be a near carbon copy of tonight’s Starlink launch.
Organization: SpaceX
Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Rocket: Falcon 9
Pad: Space Launch Complex 40
Window Opens: Saturday, 03/01/2025 8:57:00 PM EST
Window Closes: Sunday, 03/02/2025 1:28:00 AM EST
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission Description: Another batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
SpaceX is planning to launch Falcon 9 and the Starlink 12-13 mission tomorrow evening from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is set for 11:26 PM but may change due to weather or SpaceX operational requirements.
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 12-13
Organization: SpaceX
Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Rocket: Falcon 9
Pad: Space Launch Complex 40
Status: Go for Launch
Status Info: Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources.
Window Opens: Monday, 02/24/2025 11:26:00 PM
Window Closes: Tuesday, 02/25/2025 3:06:00 AM
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission Description: A batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
This launch had been scheduled for this evening, but was shifted a day by SpaceX sometime Sunday morning.
Trajectory
Down the Bimini Highway: southeast to The Bahamas.
Weather
The 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 has released their L-1 Launch Mission Execution Forecast: 60% GO improving to 20% GO through the launch window.
Online Viewing
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 12-13. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about fifteen 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.
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