SpaceX rocket launch recap: Live updates from April 24 Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral
Launch recap: Scroll down to review live updates from from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 6-74 mission.
Original story: Look for another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to take flight tonight amid scattered clouds and highly favorable launch weather from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of tonight's SpaceX Starlink 6-74 mission. SpaceX is targeting 9:52 p.m. for liftoff from Launch Complex 40.
The Falcon 9 will deploy a payload of 28 Starlink internet-beaming satellites, which are packed inside the fairing atop the 230-foot rocket.
No Central Florida sonic booms should occur during this mission. Rather, after soaring skyward along a southeasterly trajectory, the rocket's first-stage booster will target landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship out at sea a bit more than eight minutes after liftoff.
The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron pegged the odds of "go for launch" weather at greater than 95%, citing a warm, dry weather pattern throughout the remainder of the week at the spaceport.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
Countdown Timer
Update 10:01 p.m.: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster just landed aboard SpaceX's drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 23rd mission.
Update 9:52 p.m.: Liftoff! SpaceX has just launched the rocket carrying 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Update 9:47 p.m.: SpaceX's launch webcast is now posted above, right below our countdown clock.
Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Update 9:42 p.m.: Tonight's mission marks this Falcon 9 first-stage booster's 23rd flight, SpaceX reported.
The booster previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 18 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes, 27 seconds after liftoff.
Update 9:32 p.m.: National Weather Service radar from the Melbourne Orlando International Airport station shows the Space Coast remains free of meaningful cloud cover ahead of the upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 launch.
Liftoff is scheduled in 20 minutes.
Update 9:21 p.m.: Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at Launch Complex 40, indicated by white water vapor billowing near the lower third of the rocket.
That means the Starlink mission countdown is now locked in to lift off at 9:52 p.m. without any delays, or else tonight's launch must be postponed to a later date.
Update 9:10 p.m.: Earlier today, Blue Origin crews conducted a New Glenn rocket upper-stage engine test at Launch Complex 36, just south of SpaceX's twin Falcon booster landing zones.
"Today, we completed a full duration 15-second hotfire test of the upper stage for our NG-2 mission. This time, we achieved enhanced performance from the BE-3U engine, increasing the maximum thrust from 173,000 lbf to 175,000 lbf per engine, further expanding New Glenn's capabilities for our customers," Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a tweet.
Update 9 p.m.: Here's a rundown of SpaceX's upcoming behind-the-scenes Falcon 9 launch countdown timeline. T-minus:
38 minutes: SpaceX launch director verifies 'go' for propellant load.
35 minutes: Rocket-grade kerosene and first-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.
16 minutes: Second-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.
7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch.
1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks; propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
45 seconds: SpaceX launch director verifies 'go' for launch.
3 seconds: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start.
0 seconds: Liftoff.
Update 8:45 p.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency's launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX's upcoming Falcon 9 launch.
Update 8:31 p.m.: Tonight's upcoming SpaceX launch is slated to become the 33rd of the year thus far from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center.
Update 8:15 p.m.: Additional details from the 45th Weather Squadron's launch forecast:
"The Spaceport will remain in a warm and dry pattern throughout the remainder of the week asthe area remains under the influence of the broad and weak high over the western Atlantic. The axis of this feature will remain north of the area, bringing persistent low-level onshore flow," the forecast said.
"Aloft, the upper-level ridge will break down, allowing additional mid to high clouds to spill across the region late this week. Models continue to trend too high and cold with this layer to pose any launch weather concern," the forecast said.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launch recap: Live updates from April 24 Starlink night mission
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Is there a rocket launch today? Upcoming SpaceX liftoff should be visible in California
The third rocket launch of June from California could be about a day away, and (as usual) it should be widely visible across southern portions of the state. SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, is preparing to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on the latest Starlink satellite delivery from the West Coast. The Starlink missions have become by far the most frequent and common rocket launches from Southern California – having comprised all six spaceflight missions in May from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The two-stage 230-foot-tall rocket, one of the world's most active, has become crucial in regularly deploying batches of internet-beaming Starlink satellites into what's called low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly. The good news for Californians is, they have plenty of opportunities to see the Falcon 9 rocket soaring after it gets off the ground. But it's important to keep in mind that rocket launches can be – and often are – scrubbed or delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending rocket launch. Here's what to know about the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as well as when and where to watch it: California rocket launches: Here's a look at the upcoming schedule from Vandenberg A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests SpaceX is targeting the launch for as early as Friday, June 13, with backup opportunities Saturday, June 14. However, multiple websites that track rocket launches suggest the launch window could open at 6:46 p.m. PT Thursday, June 12. Neither the Vandenberg Space Force Base, nor SpaceX have yet officially confirmed the launch. The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver the Starlink satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Following the delivery and deployment of the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County could hear sonic booms, according to an alert from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sonic booms are brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound. SpaceX provides a livestream of the launch on its website beginning about five minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X, which Elon Musk also owns. Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in California to catch the launch in person: 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, the public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the 'viewing site for SLC-6' (space launch complex-6) Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4 Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, the only location where the public can view the ignition and liftoff of rockets from Complex 4. Public access is at the Amtrak Surf Station parking area, but the area is closed in the case of back-to-back launches. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, even maintains this list with additional viewing locations: , 6851 Ocean Park Road, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. , 1 Hancock Drive, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where both the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. , N A Street and McLaughlin Road, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002. The commercial spaceflight company is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket, from both California and Florida. That includes a regular cadence of deliveries of Starlink internet satellites into orbit, and occasional privately-funded commercial crewed missions on the Dragon. The most recent of SpaceX's private human spaceflights, a mission known as Fram2, took place in April. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024. SpaceX also benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads. The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 7,000 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both Florida and California. While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up. That allows Starlink's satellites to have lower latency and data time between user and the satellite, improving performance of things like streaming, online gaming and video calls. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California rocket launch today: Where to see SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Space Force's first next-gen missile warning launch pushed to 2026
Despite expectations for an on-time satellite delivery, the Space Force has opted to delay the launch of its first Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared spacecraft until at least next spring due to high demand for launch services. The satellite is one of two Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft designed to provide early missile-warning capabilities from geosynchronous Earth orbit as part of the Next-Gen OPIR GEO program. According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the first satellite will now stay on the ground until at least March of 2026 'due to a crowded 2025 launch manifest.' GAO has long warned that the program's schedule was likely too ambitious due to the technology requirements for its mission payload, and the agency predicted its launch would likely be delayed by at least one year. Those projections could prove true, but perhaps for more nuanced reasons. RTX, the program's payload supplier, faced development challenges that delayed its delivery by 13 months to August 2024. While that slowdown consumed most of the program's margin, the satellite has since progressed well through its testing milestones. The service now anticipates the spacecraft will be delivered by September. That means it could have flown this year had there been room in the launch manifest. GAO notes in its report, released today, that despite those successes — and because of the lack of schedule margin — the program still risks further delay if any issues arise during final integration. 'The program has no buffer in its schedule to first launch; any payload and space vehicle integration delays will likely result in launch delays and program cost increases,' the watchdog agency said. Next-Gen OPIR is part of a larger multi-orbit strategy to provide missile-warning and tracking capabilities from space. Along with the two GEO satellites, the Space Force has contracted with Northrop Grumman to build two polar-orbiting spacecraft as part of Next-Gen-OPIR. These four satellites will eventually replace the existing Space-Based Infrared System. The two GEO spacecraft are expected to cost $9.5 billion, and the polar satellites have a total cost estimate of $5.9 billion. Separately, the Space Development Agency is leading an effort to develop a missile-tracking constellation in low Earth orbit made up of hundreds of small satellites. And the Space Force's primary acquisition arm, Space Systems Command, is spearheading a medium Earth orbit constellation. GAO's report evaluated progress on the two Next-Gen OPIR Polar spacecraft, finding the program is on track for delivery and launch in 2028 and is meeting its schedule for various program reviews. The report notes that the polar satellites are integrating a modified version of the same mission payload as the GEO spacecraft, which could introduce schedule risk when the program reaches the integration phase. The report notes that the program approved a cybersecurity strategy last year and plans to run a series of tests this year and a full system assessment in 2027.


CNBC
3 hours ago
- CNBC
Ark Investment's Sam Korus shares his bull case for SpaceX
Sam Korus, Ark Investment Management director of research, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk SpaceX's valuation and what is next for the company.