SpaceX Starlink 8-10’s ascent as seen from Veteran’s Memorial Park in Titusville. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX got right back to business early Saturday morning as it launched the Starlink 8-10 mission aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Liftoff was at 03:43 AM EDT, with Booster B1085 completing its first mission successfully 8:22 minutes later when it touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions.’ At 5:06 AM, SpaceX confirmed satellite deployment and the conclusion of another successful launch for the company.
Deployment of 21 @Starlink satellites launched from pad 40 in Florida confirmed
According to SpaceX, tonight’s payload was “21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit.”
Starlink now has approximately 6300 active satellites in its expanding constellation, which serves over three million customers in over 100 countries and territories globally.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
This one is tricky: Polaris Dawn is vertical at LC-39A and is awaiting good weather prior to its start. SpaceX nor the Polaris Dawn program have announced the date for the next launch attempt, but one may be forthcoming at any time.
Otherwise, if Polaris Dawn does not launch by mid-week next week, SpaceX has the Starlink 8-11 mission penciled in for Wednesday, September 4th with a launch window between 08:59 AM and 12:59 AM EDT.
Starlink 8-10, close to Main Engine Cutoff on August 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Booster B1062 comes to a firey end after its 23rd flight Photo: via SpaceX livestream
Fresh off of the delay of the Polaris Dawn’s 3:38 AM launch Wednesday morning, thanks to unfavorable weather in the abort zones, SpaceX made the decision to continue with the launch of Starlink mission 8-6, slated for launch at 3:48 AM. While the launch and deployment of the Starlink satellite payload went off without a hitch, it would not prove to be a great morning for SpaceX.
Booster Lost Due To Failed Landing
Despite the overall success of the primary mission, the record-breaking flight of Booster B1062 was marred when it failed to land safely on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean.
Liftoff was at 03:48 AM EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. While the primary mission objective—to deploy the Starlink satellites—was accomplished, the attempt to recover the booster did not go as planned. As the booster descended towards the droneship, a green flash was visible near the Merlin engines, followed by the booster toppling over and catching fire.
SpaceX confirmed the incident in an update posted on X.com shortly afterward.
After a successful ascent, Falcon 9's first stage booster tipped over following touchdown on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship. Teams are assessing the booster's flight data and status. This was the booster's 23rd launch.
The loss of the storied booster disappointed both SpaceX and the company’s growing ranks of followers. The reusability of the Falcon 9 first-stage boosters is a cornerstone of the company’s business model. Wednesday’s failure ends a streak of 267 consecutive successful booster landings. The last time SpaceX experienced a similar failure was on February 16, 2021, during the Starlink 19 v1.0 mission. On that occasion, the booster B1059 failed to land on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You.”
Following the incident, SpaceX decided to stand down from what would have been the day’s third launch attempt, another Starlink mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to evaluate the data from B1059. A new launch date for that mission has not yet been announced.
Launch Replay
Next Launch
With the failed landing of B1062, SpaceX has already delayed one launch from Vandenberg AFB in California while it evaluates what led to the failure and what remediations would be necessary. That makes the timeline of launches from Florida tenuous as well. While there has been no official announcement of launch dates for Polaris and the Starlink mission being set, it may take SpaceX several days to complete their analyses before their next launch.
That being said, Polaris Dawn is currently on the launch pad, awaiting weather improvements. That could come as early as Friday morning but do pay close attention to official announcements from SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn program regarding their next launch attempt.
They say that sometimes you’re the bug, and sometimes you’re the windshield. An odd aphorism to be sure, but one that perfectly fits Florida: if you don’t like insects being everywhere, then you’re in the wrong place.
Today, we were the figurative bug today: after waiting through weather that seemed more like swimming in a hot, soupy burning sun, at T-Minus 46 seconds, SpaceX scrubbed (canceled) the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from a mere 4.5 miles away.
Long sigh. That’s rocket launches. A hundred thousand things must go right, but if only one of those things go wrong, nobody’s going to space today. Find, fix and try again tomorrow. It is always the right call.
A iPhone photo of Playalinda Beach.The crowd waiting for the launch that was moments away from cancelation.
The Mid-Course Tracking Station keeping a watching electronic eye on Falcon 9 as it tracks the launch Saturday morning.
SpaceX launched the Starlink 10-9 mission early Saturday morning from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff was at 01:45 AM EDT, and Booster B1069 completed its 17th flight by successfully landing on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’ roughly 8.25 minutes after lifting off and lofting the payload towards orbit. Tonight’s flight was the first after the Starlink 9-3 failure that saw the company pause launching for 15 days.
SpaceX announced a successful payload deployment at 02:49 AM EDT.
The Mid-Course Tracking Station keeping a watching electronic eye on Falcon 9 as it tracks the launch Saturday morning. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX launched the Starlink 10-9 mission early Saturday morning from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff was at 01:45 AM EDT, and Booster B1069 completed its 17th flight by successfully landing on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’ roughly 8.25 minutes after lifting off and lofting the payload towards orbit.
SpaceX announced a successful payload deployment at 02:49 AM EDT.
Falcon 9’s upper stage has completed its second engine burn to place it in the final deploy orbit
This was a Return To Flight mission after the Starlink 9-3 mishap, one that the company stated Friday was the result of “a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system.”
SpaceX devised and tested a fix quickly after identifying the root cause of the problem, allowing them to fly this morning’s mission a mere 15 days after that issue caused a rare failure in Falcon 9’s second stage. Earlier today, Sarah Walker, the Director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX said in a Crew 9 update that the company had removed the faulty sense line and tested the repair at the company’s engine facility in Macgregor, Texas. The fix was also successful in Falcon 9’s Return To Flight mission this morning.
Launch Replay
Payload
Twenty-three Starlink Mini V2 satellites. Once fully operational, the satellites will join the burgeoning Starlink constellation, which serves over three million customers in around one hundred countries worldwide.
A Starlink satellites being deployed in an earlier mission. Photo via SpaceX
Next Launch
SpaceX is scheduled to launch another set of Starlink satellites early on Sunday morning, this time from Space Launch Complex 40.
Date: NET July 28, 2024
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: Starlink Group 10-4
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 12:13 – 04:43 AM EDT
Payload: Starlink Mini v2 satellites
Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.
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.
Falcon 9 rises over a ghost boat on the Banana River on July 3, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX successfully launched another group of Starlink satellites into orbit this morning from its Space Launch Complex 40 facility to open the second half of the year. Liftoff was at 4:55 AM EDT.
Around 8:20 minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster used for the mission, tail number B1073, touched down safely on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean near the Carolinas. After landing, B1073 has now flown sixteen successful missions. ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be unloaded, transported to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center, and prepared for its next flight after inspection and refurbishment.
Launch Replay
Payload
According to SpaceX, tonight’s payload is “20 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.”
Debbie Henninger Harris caught this photo of Falcon 9 ascending to orbit in Raleigh, NC this morning. The launch was visible for much of the SE coastal state. Photo: Debbie Henninger Harris, shared by permission
Booster B1073.16 Record
Booster B1073
May 12, 2024
Flight
Mission
Date
1
Starlink 4-15
May 14, 2022
2
SES-22
June 29, 2022
3
Starlink 4-26
August 10, 2022
4
Starlink 4-35
September 24, 2022
5
HAKUTO-R
December 11, 2022
6
Amazonus Nexus
February 7, 2023
7
CRS-27
March 15, 2023
8
Starlink 6-2
April 19, 2023
9
Starlink 5-11
June 12, 2023
10
Starlink 6-12
September 4, 2023
11
Starlink 6-27
November 8, 2023
12
Starlink 6-37
January 15, 2024
13
Starlink 6-41
March 4, 2024
14
Bandwagon-1
April 7, 2024
15
Starlink 6-58
May 12, 2024
16
Starlink 8-9
July 3, 2024
Booster B1073 flight record as of July 3, 2024
Falcon 9 lifts off and turns night into day for a moment—iPhone photo.
Next Launch
SpaceX will send a satellite built in Türkiye to geosynchronous orbit. Once commissioned, it will provide services to customers in Türkiye, Europe, the Northern coast of Africa, the Middle East, India, and Indonesia.
Date: NET July 7, 2024
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: Türksat 6A
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 5:20 PM EDT
Payload: Communications satellite
Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.
SpaceX successfully launched another group of Starlink satellites into orbit this morning from its Space Launch Complex 40 facility to open the second half of the year. Liftoff was at 4:55 AM EDT.
A Falcon 9 rises off in the distance behind a “ghost boat” on the Banana River
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.
At A Glance
Mission: Starlink 10-2
Date: NET June 23, 2024
Launch Window: 01:15 PM EDT – 05:01 PM EDT*
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Payload: 22 communications satellites
* consult SpaceX for the specific target for T-0.
Payload
22 Starlink Mini V2 satellites, to be used in SpaceX’s orbital-based Internet service.
Starlink Mini V2 satellites being deployed in orbit. Photo: SpaceX
Weather
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.”
Trajectory
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.
Approximation of the trajectory of this evening’s launch.
Booster B1078
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
As of May 28, 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
* after propellant loading begins, SpaceX is committed, and any holds until liftoff results in a scrub for the day. This is important if the weather is marginal.
Via SpaceX
Typical SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only.
Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight
SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
Event
00:00:00
Liftoff
00:01:10
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
via: SpaceX
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.
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.
Launch Viewing: In Person
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.
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
Indirect Views
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.
Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
Further away, but still good views.
Northern Titusville Parks
Further away, but really nice views.
Playalinda Beach
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.
Get there at least two hours early, or better, earlier than that. Lines are long at the entry gate and they will only allow as many spectator vehicles as there are parking space available.
If the launch L-0 time is moved to after 8PM, you must leave Playalinda, as the National Park Service is very strict about closing hours.
Cape Canaveral National Seashore has a fee to get in and cash is not accepted. Debit and credit cards are okay, or if you have one of the National Park Service’s passes for the Seashore or the National Parks, that will work as well.
Cellphone service is spotty at best and often non-existent at Playalinda. Don’t count on your cellphone to keep up with the launch; you might get a signal, or you might not.
You are not allowed to view from the pullouts on Beach Road. Stanchions will block them. You’ll have to park and go to the beach.
Refreshments are not available. There are no stores at Cape Canaveral National Seashore, so you’ll need to bring drinks and food if you want any while you’re there.
Rangers will keep you back a certain distance from the launch area on the beach. Even if the beach is open, you’ll still be unable to go down to the fence that demarcates the normal security zone. There’s a line that spectators can’t go past somewhat north of the fence. That’s for safety and security.
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.
A Falcon 9 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
SpaceX is targeting a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida this evening.
The launch window opens at 5:20 PM EDT and extends until 9:00 PM EDT. The backup window for this launch is Thursday, June 13, starting at 4:46 p.m. EDT.
Weather may be an issue, as heavy rains are forecast for the region today.
According to the National Weather Service at 10:30AM EDT today, “Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 10pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10pm. Low around 75. South southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.”
Payload
22 Starlink Mini V2 satellites, to be used in SpaceX’s orbital-based Internet service.
Starlink Mini V2 satellites being deployed in orbit. Photo: SpaceX
Weather
The 45th Weather Squadron is forecasting a 95% chance of creating a Range Violation Thursday, meaning a mere 5% chance of acceptable conditions throughout the launch window. On Thursday, conditions improve slightly: 15% “Go”, with an 85%” Probability of Violation.
In their discussion, the 45th Weather Squadron states, “The Spaceport, and the remainder of the peninsula, will see very wet and unsettled weather conditions through the remainder of the week. The forecast question for both the primary launch opportunity Wednesday afternoon and backup on Thursday remains exactly where [a frontal] boundary drifts to, and how quickly a developing area of low pressure sets up off the northeast Florida coast. For Wednesday afternoon, models differ if weather for launch opportunities may be better earlier or later in the window.“
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.
Approximation of the trajectory of this evening’s launch.
Booster B1073
According to SpaceX, tonight’s booster previously launched “This is the 16th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched previously launched SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1, and 10 Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.” and will be on its nineteenth mission overall. That’s Booster B1073.
B1073 last flew May 12, 2024, or thirty-one days ago.
Booster B1073
May 12, 2024
Flight
Mission
Date
1
Starlink 4-15
May 14, 2022
2
SES-22
June 29, 2022
3
Starlink 4-26
August 10, 2022
4
Starlink 4-35
September 24, 2022
5
HAKUTO-R
December 11, 2022
6
Amazonus Nexus
February 7, 2023
7
CRS-27
March 15, 2023
8
Starlink 6-2
April 19, 2023
9
Starlink 5-11
June 12, 2023
10
Starlink 6-12
September 4, 2023
11
Starlink 6-27
November 8, 2023
12
Starlink 6-37
January 15, 2024
13
Starlink 6-41
March 4, 2024
14
Bandwagon-1
April 7, 2024
15
Starlink 6-58
May 12, 2024
Booster B1073 as of May 12, 2023
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
Via SpaceX
Typical SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only.
Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight
SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
Event
00:00:00
Liftoff
00:01:10
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
via: SpaceX
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.
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.
Launch Viewing: In Person
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.
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
Indirect Views
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.
Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
Further away, but still good views.
Northern Titusville Parks
Further away, but really nice views.
Playalinda Beach
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.
Get there at least two hours early, or better, earlier than that. Lines are long at the entry gate and they will only allow as many spectator vehicles as there are parking space available.
If the launch L-0 time is moved to after 8PM, you must leave Playalinda, as the National Park Service is very strict about closing hours.
Cape Canaveral National Seashore has a fee to get in and cash is not accepted. Debit and credit cards are okay, or if you have one of the National Park Service’s passes for the Seashore or the National Parks, that will work as well.
Cellphone service is spotty at best and often non-existent at Playalinda. Don’t count on your cellphone to keep up with the launch; you might get a signal, or you might not.
You are not allowed to view from the pullouts on Beach Road. Stanchions will block them. You’ll have to park and go to the beach.
Refreshments are not available. There are no stores at Cape Canaveral National Seashore, so you’ll need to bring drinks and food if you want any while you’re there.
Rangers will keep you back a certain distance from the launch area on the beach. Even if the beach is open, you’ll still be unable to go down to the fence that demarcates the normal security zone. There’s a line that spectators can’t go past somewhat north of the fence. That’s for safety and security.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.