UPDATE: Liftoff of SpaceX’s latest Starlink Internet satellites at 8:50pm on Sunday! This sets the stage for the next mission, currently scheduled to fly as early as Wednesday night. See more in our full release schedule here.
Follow the live updates below as SpaceX targets Sunday, July 23 at 8:50pm EDT for the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Starlink Internet satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
If the countdown at Launch Complex 40 goes as planned, Falcon 9 will fly a southeast track and aim to land aboard the Just Read the Instructions drone in the Atlantic Ocean. This will mark Booster’s sixth mission so far.
The window to launch tonight closes at 10:31pm EDT. Teams will need more time due to weather conditions around the Cape.
Follow live updates below:
Liftoff!
8:50 PM EDT: SpaceX’s Latest Liftoff of 22 Starlink Internet Satellites!
Here is the post-release timeline:
- T-plus 00:01:12: Max Q (moment of peak mechanical pressure of the rocket)
- 00:02:27: First Stage Main Engine Cut (MECO)
- 00:02:30: 1st and 2nd stages separate
- 00:02:36: 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
- 00:03:07: Fair deployment
- 00:06:08: First stage entry burn begins
- 00:06:29: 1st stage entry burn ends
- 00:07:55: 1st stage landing burn begins
- 00:08:22: 1st stage landing
- 00:08:35: 2nd Stage Mechanical Cut (SECO-1)
- 00:54:01: 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
- 00:54:03: 2nd level mechanical cut (SECO-2)
- 01:05:19: Starlink satellites are deployed
T-minus 15 minutes
8:35 PM EDT: SpaceX is still aiming for an on-time liftoff of 8:50pm EDT. So far, everything seems to be going well.
SpaceX ‘go’ to launch fuel
8:12 PM EDT: SpaceX mission managers have voted “go” to begin the refueling process at Launch Complex 40. Once that process begins at 8:15 p.m., the Falcon 9 will launch at 8:50 p.m. EDT.
Here’s the rest of the timeline:
- 00:35:00: Loading of RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) begins
- 00:35:00: First stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
- 00:16:00: 2nd stage LOX loading begins
- 00:07:00: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch
- 00:01:00: Command flight computer to begin final pre-launch checks
- 00:01:00: Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
- 00:00:45: SpaceX launch director checks to go to launch
- 00:00:03: The engine controller commands the engine to start the ignition sequence.
- 00:00:00: Falcon 9 liftoff
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New Starlink launch time
6:10 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is now targeting an 8:50 p.m. EDT for the launch, dubbed Starlink 6-6, from Cape Canaveral. Reminder that the window closes tonight at 10:31 pm EDT.
Rocket Launch Schedule:Upcoming Florida launches and landings
SpaceX is counting on a second launch attempt
5:20 pm EDT: good evening! SpaceX is gearing up for its second attempt to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after being scrubbed by bad weather last night. Conditions aren’t great this evening, but will improve before the window closes at 10:31 pm EDT. SpaceX may wait until the weather clears this time. wait
Here’s the pre-release timeline:
- D-minus 00:38:00: SpaceX launch director checks “go” for propellant load
- 00:35:00: Loading of RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) begins
- 00:35:00: First stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
- 00:16:00: 2nd stage LOX loading begins
- 00:07:00: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch
- 00:01:00: Command flight computer to begin final pre-launch checks
- 00:01:00: Propellant tank pressure starts to increase to flight pressure
- 00:00:45: SpaceX launch director checks to go to launch
- 00:00:03: The engine controller commands the engine to start the ignition sequence.
- 00:00:00: Falcon 9 liftoff
