06-02-2025
Fog-cloaked: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 Tuesday morning at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
(This story has been updated to include SpaceX's latest Tuesday evening launch target times.)
The fog was so thick that the shrouded rocket was scarcely visible on SpaceX's own webcast. But a Falcon 9 lifted off in the predawn darkness Tuesday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking Florida's 11th orbital rocket launch thus far this year.
SpaceX's Starlink 12-3 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 40 during a National Weather Service dense fog advisory — with meteorologists warning motorists that visibility could dip below ¼ mile until hours after sunrise.
The Falcon 9 deployed 21 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, including 13 with direct-to-cell communications capabilities. Rumbling from the rising rocket reverberated for roughly 2½ minutes in Rockledge, Viera and nearby Space Coast communities, rattling homes amid unusual atmospheric conditions that thwarted launch photographers.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA rocket launch schedule in Florida
Afterward, SpaceX continued targeting a Tuesday rocket launch doubleheader from the Cape. A second, 53-minute launch window was slated to open at 6:13 p.m. to launch a Falcon 9 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. That mission was set to deploy the third pair of Maxar Space Systems-built WorldView Legion high-resolution imagery satellites into orbit.
Before the Starlink liftoff, SpaceX crews kept the general public guessing Tuesday morning by not publicly announcing that rocket fueling had begun. Instead, thick fog obscured views of Launch Complex 40 and telltale signs of rocket fueling, namely billowing white vapor and frost forming near the rocket's base.
The first-stage booster from Tuesday's Starlink mission completed its 21st flight by touching down for landing atop the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. The booster previously launched OneWeb 1, SES 18+19, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F1, CRS-24 and 16 Starlink missions.
Last week, Scandinavian Airlines officials announced Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi internet service will roll out fleet-wide late this year, free of charge to all passengers.
"Starlink will soon be available on all @SAS flights for passengers and crew, even while flying over the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and North Pole," SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev said in a tweet.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launches Starlink 12-3 mission Tuesday at foggy Cape Canaveral
