Look for a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to take flight across sunny Brevard County skies Thursday, Aug. 20, from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The 230-foot rocket — which will deploy 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit — has a four-hour launch window extending from 11:19 a.m. to 3:19 p.m.
After logging its 30th flight, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster will target landing aboard the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. So no Brevard County sonic booms should occur.
Look for FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage to kick off about 90 minutes before SpaceX’s launch window opens at floridatoday.com/space.
The National Weather Service forecast called for a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Thursday at the Space Force installation. Sunny skies, a sweltering afternoon high near 94 degrees, and light west-southwest wind of 5 to 10 mph should prevail.
SpaceX’s Starlink 10-39 mission will follow the company’s nighttime launch that generated Central Florida sonic booms Saturday, Aug. 15, when the Falcon 9 booster returned for landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
That 9:12 p.m. liftoff placed eight Globalstar HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites up in low-Earth orbit for the telecommunications provider’s constellation.
Shortly afterward Saturday’s launch from the Cape, SpaceX crews at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California launched another Falcon 9 on the USSF-366 national security mission at 9:50 p.m. EDT.
“Congrats to the @SpaceX Falcon on the record doubleheader last night! This was our closest back to back falcon launches at 38 minutes 31 seconds apart,” Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev said in a next-day tweet Sunday, Aug. 16.
For the latest news 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 321 Launch space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: After record rocket doubleheader, SpaceX preps for Thursday launch in Florida
Reporting by Rick Neale, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rick Neale, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
