Live coverage: SpaceX to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on midday Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral

File: A Falcon 9 rocket stands in the launch position at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of the planned liftoff of the Starlink 6-61 mission on Oct. 22, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

SpaceX is set to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on an early afternoon flight to deliver more of its Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Starlink 6-96 mission will add another 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the megaconstellation. According to astronomer and expert orbital tracker Jonathan McDowell, there were more than 9,400 Starlink satellites in orbit as of Jan. 5.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 is scheduled for 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 UTC) from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 rocket will fly on a south-easterly trajectory upon leaving the pad.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.



Meteorologists with the 45th Weather Squadron forecast a greater than 95 percent chance for favorable weather at liftoff on Thursday. Launch weather officers said there may be some off-shore rain showers, but they shouldn’t impact conditions at the pad.

SpaceX will launch the mission using the Falcon 9 booster with the tail number 1069. This will be its 29th flight after launching missions, like CRS-24, Eutelsat Hotbird 13F and 24 batches of Starlink satellites.

Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1069 will target a landing on the drone ship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas,’ positioned in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of The Bahamas. If successful, this will be the 138th landing on this vessel and the 556th booster landing for SpaceX to date.