Launch doubleheader recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Thursday, Sept. 25, back-to-back morning liftoffs of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral.
Original story: Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of this morning’s SpaceX-ULA rocket-launch doubleheader from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station!
First up, SpaceX launched 28 Starlink satellites in predawn darkness at 4:39 a.m. en route to low-Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40.
Now, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket should lift off at 8:09 a.m. carrying 27 satellites for the Amazon Project Kuiper broadband constellation. This launch window will last 29 minutes, if needed, from Launch Complex 41.
Morning launch weather should continue to be excellent. The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron upgraded the odds of favorable conditions to 95%, with cumulus clouds representing only a slight concern.
No Brevard County sonic booms should occur during the Kuiper 3 mission, which will soar skyward along a northeasterly trajectory.
ULA launch coverage wraps up
Update 8:35 a.m.: After roughly 5¼ hours, our SpaceX-ULA morning doubleheader launch blog will likely conclude. ULA has wrapped up its launch webcast.
Centaur upper stage reaches low-Earth orbit
Update 8:31 p.m.: The main engine has cut off on the Centaur upper stage, ULA reported.
The Atlas V ascended up the Eastern Seaboard beyond Cape Cod en route to low-Earth orbit.
Brevard officials mark successful rocket launch
Update 8:20 a.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have deactivated the agency’s launch operations support team after ULA’s successful Atlas V launch.
Atlas V payload fairing jettison confirmed
Update 8:15 a.m.: After conducting a roll maneuver, the Atlas V solid rocket boosters burned out and jettisoned high above Earth, followed by the rocket’s payload fairing.
Liftoff!
Update 8:09 a.m.: Liftoff! ULA has just launched the Atlas V carrying 27 Project Kuiper satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
ULA readiness poll: ‘Go for launch’
Update 8:03 a.m.: A poll of more than two dozen console operators and mission leaders just authorized the terminal count to proceed.
Liftoff is scheduled in six minutes.
About the Atlas V rocket and payload
Update 7:59 a.m.: ULA released this graphic depiction of today’s Atlas V rocket that illustrates its key components.
ULA: Weather at Cape Canaveral is ‘go for launch’
Update 7:54 a.m.: In a key development, the 45th Weather Squadron’s latest assessment is forecast “go” for liftoff.
“A series of weather balloons has been launched throughout the countdown from the Range weather station at the Cape to collect measurements of wind speeds and directions to determine if conditions aloft violate the controllability or structural loads on the rocket during ascent,” a ULA update said.
“The balloon data was transmitted to ULA engineers in Denver to select a steering profile that minimizes launch vehicle responses,” the update said.
ULA Project Kuiper launch webcast about to begin
Update 7:49 a.m.: ULA’s launch webcast is now posted above, right below our countdown clock.
Liftoff is scheduled in 20 minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
ULA launch countdown proceeding: 30 minutes until liftoff
Update 7:39 a.m.: A half-hour before ULA’s target launch time, the countdown appears to be proceeding on schedule.
“Atlas V is fully fueled and configured for today’s Amazon @ProjectKuiper mission. Clocks are holding at T-minus 4 minutes for a 30-minute planned built-in hold before final readiness polls and we enter terminal count,” a ULA tweet said.
JetBlue to offer Project Kuiper free in-flight Wi-Fi
Update 7:30 a.m.: Earlier this month, Amazon officials announced JetBlue will become the first airline to implement Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite technology, starting in 2027.
SpaceX launch prep underway again in Brevard
Update 7:25 a.m.: For the second time this morning, Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team.
This time, the team is monitoring ULA’s upcoming Atlas V launch.
ULA launch to be 83rd of year from Space Coast
Update 7:15 a.m.: ULA’s upcoming Project Kuiper mission will clock in as the 83rd orbital rocket launch thus far during 2025 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s neighboring Kennedy Space Center.
Click here for the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team’s updating tally listing all of this year’s missions, complete with photo galleries and story links.
Atlas V rocket fueling updates
Update 7:05 a.m.: The latest information from ULA:
ULA: Favorable weather ‘green’ for upcoming launch
Update 6:50 a.m.: As of about an hour ago, the most recent data available from the National Weather Service showed the temperature was 78 degrees under fair skies with 10-mile visibility and a 3-mph westerly breeze at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
“A check of the weather shows all of the launch rules are green,” a ULA update said.
Watch ULA’s Project Kuiper mission profile
Update 6:40 a.m.: This video explains ULA’s Project Kuiper mission profile, from Atlas V liftoff to satellite deployment.
ULA releases rocket launch visibility graphic
Update 6:30 a.m.: This ULA graphic depicts potential rocket visibility for Atlas V launch spectators across the eastern United States, ranging from 60 seconds to 6½ minutes after liftoff along the ascending rocket’s northeasterly flight path.
This mission’s visibility radius extends as far to the northwest as Indiana and Michigan.
SpaceX releases Starlink 10-15 mission photos
Update 6:15 a.m.: Below are a quartet of photos that SpaceX just released from this morning’s Starlink mission.
Atlas V fueling underway at Launch Complex 41
Update 6:05 a.m.: ULA reports the Centaur upper-stage liquid-oxygen tank is now 20% filled. This frigid fuel is chilled to minus-298 degrees.
The Centaur will soon hold about 4,150 gallons of liquid oxygen.
SpaceX confirms deployment of Starlink satellites
Update 5:55 a.m.: In a tweet, SpaceX officials confirmed that the 28 Starlink satellites that launched a bit more than an hour ago have deployed in low-Earth orbit.
Crews prepping to start fueling Atlas V
Update 5:45 a.m.: Per a ULA update, preparatory steps for fueling are kicking off, including chilldown of transfer lines to the Centaur upper-stage liquid-oxygen system.
The company also shared this video showing how Atlas V rockets are stacked for Project Kuiper missions.
What is Amazon’s Project Kuiper?
Update 5:30 a.m.: In a mission update, ULA officials provided a brief explanation of Amazon’s fledgling internet constellation — which should expand to 129 satellites with today’s mission.
“Project Kuiper is built around an initial constellation of more than 3,200 advanced (low-Earth orbit) satellites. Its mission is to provide fast, reliable internet to customers and communities around the world, including those unserved or underserved by traditional connectivity technologies,” the update said.
“The system has the capacity, performance, and flexibility to serve a wide range of customers, from individual households to schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies and other organizations operating in places without reliable connectivity,” the update said.
NWS radar shows no significant cloud cover at Cape
Update 5:15 a.m.: National Weather Service radar from the Melbourne Orlando International Airport station shows no significant cloud cover over Brevard County ahead of ULA’s upcoming launch.
Countdown clock reset for upcoming ULA launch
Update 5 a.m.: After SpaceX’s successful Starlink 10-15 launch, we’ve reset our countdown clock for ULA’s 8:09 a.m. Project Kuiper liftoff target time.
ULA reported all systems remained “go” as of 4:15 a.m., and “the weather is favorable and we are working no issues.”
SpaceX Falcon 9 booster lands on drone ship
Update 4:47 a.m.: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster just landed aboard SpaceX’s drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 22nd mission.
Liftoff!
Update 4:39 a.m.: Liftoff! SpaceX has just launched the Falcon 9 carrying 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX rocket launch webcast begins
Update 4:33 a.m.: SpaceX’s launch webcast is now posted above, right below our countdown clock.
Liftoff is scheduled in six minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX rocket launch is 14 minutes away
Update 4:25 a.m.: Fourteen minutes before SpaceX’s Falcon 9 lifts off, the countdown appears to be proceeding as planned.
Following is a list of key remaining countdown milestones. T-minus:
SpaceX rocket booster to land on drone ship
Update 4:15 a.m.: Today’s mission will mark this Falcon 9 first-stage booster’s 22nd flight, SpaceX reported.
The well-traveled booster previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, NG-21 and 15 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, 24 seconds after liftoff.
SpaceX rocket fueling is now underway
Update 4:05 a.m.: Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now taking place at Launch Complex 40, billowing water vapor indicates.
That means the Starlink mission countdown is locked in to lift off at 4:39 a.m. without any delays, or else this morning’s launch must be postponed to a later date.
SpaceX launch prep underway in Brevard
Update 3:53 a.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.
SpaceX launch to follow NASA IMAP liftoff
Update 3:42 a.m.: SpaceX’s morning Starlink launch will come on the heels of Wednesday morning’s Falcon 9-propelled NASA IMAP mission.
The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe started its long journey at 7:30 a.m., joliting skyward from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft launched alongside NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and NOAA’s SWFO-L1.
The trio of missions will investigate different effects of space weather and solar wind.
“This knowledge is critical because the Sun’s activity directly impacts our daily lives, from power grids to GPS. These missions will help us ensure the safety and resilience of our interconnected world,” Joe Westlake, heliophysics division director at NASA headquarters, said in a press release.
SpaceX launch to be 82nd of year from Space Coast
Update 3:27 a.m.: SpaceX’s upcoming predawn Starlink mission will clock in as the 82nd orbital rocket launch thus far during 2025 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s neighboring Kennedy Space Center.
As a reminder, the Cape’s all-time annual record was just set last year with 93 orbital launches.
Click here for the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team’s updating tally listing all of this year’s missions, complete with photo galleries and story links.
Space Force provides SpaceX-ULA launch weather details
Update 3:14 a.m.: Details from that 45th Weather Squadron morning forecast:
“High-pressure ridge over the southeastern U.S. will sag southward (Wednesday) bringing weak onshore flow and increasing low-level moisture resulting in some afternoon seabreeze-associated showers and storms, mainly over the central and western portions of the state,” the forecast said.
“Lack of significant steering flow may allow some development to creep back toward the Space Coast by evening hours but should diminish after sunset,” the forecast said.
Overnight showers should be present over the Atlantic Ocean, with “most remaining well off the coast.”
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Live updates from SpaceX-ULA rocket launch morning doubleheader at Cape Canaveral, Florida
Reporting by Rick Neale, Florida Today / Florida Today
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