aecifo

Live updates from the Starlink 10-8 mission Saturday

Umito October 27, 2024

Launch recap: Scroll down to check out live updates from on Saturday October 26, takeoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 10-8 mission — the 73rd launch in 2024 so far from Florida’s Space Coast.

Original story: It’s a record-breaking launch day – with Space Coast’s unprecedented 73rd orbital rocket in 2024 ready to take flight from the Cape Canaveral Space Station!

Welcome to the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team’s live coverage of today’s SpaceX Starlink 10-8 mission from the Cape Canaveral space station.

SpaceX is targeting 5:47 p.m. EDT to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink satellite mission from Launch Complex 40. This mission will surpass Florida’s annual record of 72 orbital rocket launches, which were set last year and tied this week – with November and December still remaining on the calendar.

“With (Wednesday’s) successful launch, SLD 45 has now supported 72 launches here on the #SpaceCoast in 2024, matching the total number of 2023 launches,” Space Launch Delta 45 officials said in a tweet.

“Meeting and exceeding previous standards is part of how we set the tone for space in this new era,” the tweet said.

No sonic booms in Central Florida are expected. After soaring skyward along a northeastward trajectory, the rocket’s first stage booster will aim for landing aboard a SpaceX drone at sea just over eight minutes after liftoff .

Rocket photography: FLORIDA TODAY’s 2025 space launch schedule is here

Updated at 5:55 p.m.: The Falcon 9 first stage booster just landed aboard SpaceX’s Just Read the Instructions drone in the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 19th mission.

Updated at 5:47 p.m.: SpaceX just launched the Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40, marking the 73rd orbital rocket launch in Florida in 2024.

Updated at 5:42 p.m.: The SpaceX launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted above, just below the countdown.

Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes from the Cape Canaveral space station.

Updated at 5:33 p.m.: No cloud cover is heavy enough to appear on this National Weather Service radar loop from the Melbourne Orlando International Airport station.

Takeoff is scheduled in 14 minutes from Cape Town.

Updated at 5:23 p.m.: Today’s record-breaking mission marks the 19th flight of the Falcon 9 first stage booster, SpaceX reported.

This busy booster has already launched the OneWeb 1, SES 18+19, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F1, CRS-24 and 14 Starlink missions.

After stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX Just Read the Instructions drone in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes and 13 seconds after liftoff.

Updated at 5:13 p.m.: SpaceX has just announced that Falcon 9 refueling procedures are underway at Launch Complex 40.

This means that tonight’s Starlink mission countdown is now locked to lift off at 5:47 p.m. without any delays, otherwise the launch must be postponed.

“There are no meteorological or technical obstacles to takeoff,” SpaceX officials said in a tweet.

Updated at 5 p.m.: Brevard County emergency management officials have activated the agency’s Launch Operations Support Team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.

Updated at 4:45 p.m.: Here’s a look at SpaceX’s behind-the-scenes countdown timeline. T-minus:

38 minutes: SpaceX launch director checks the “go” for the propellant charge.
35 minutes: Loading of rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen from the first stage begins.
16 minutes: Liquid oxygen loading of the second stage begins.
7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine cooling before launch.
1 minute: The command flight computer begins final checks before launch; pressurization of the propellant tank to flight pressure begins.
45 seconds: SpaceX launch director checks “good” for launch.
3 seconds: The engine controller controls the start of the engine ignition sequence.
0 seconds: Takeoff.

Updated at 4:30 p.m.: In an afternoon tweet, Starlink officials noted that the satellite broadband Internet service connected its first paying customer four years ago today.

“Since then, we’ve connected over 4 million people, businesses and other organizations to high-speed internet around the world, and for the first time 4 astronauts flying around it,” the tweet said, referring to the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission which was launched last month from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Updated at 4:15 p.m.: This National Weather Service radar loop from the Melbourne-Orlando International Airport station shows no significant cloud cover over Florida’s east coast, stretching from St. Augustine south to Fort Lauderdale.

Updated at 4:01 p.m.: Forecasts from the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicted a 90 percent chance the weather would be “launch ready” for today’s SpaceX Starlink mission.

“Surface high pressure will build across the spaceport from the north through Saturday, bringing drier air across the region. An isolated shower may develop near the coast in the morning, with dry weather expected afternoon,” the squadron’s forecast says.

“Although most areas are expected to see shallow cumulus clouds, there is a small risk that the cumulus rule will be violated,” the forecast states.

For the latest news from the Cape Canaveral Space Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.

Rick Neale is a space reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

Space is important to us and that’s why we strive to bring you optimal coverage of the industry and launches in Florida. Such journalism takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.