Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY’s live coverage of the Starlink 10-57 mission!
Early risers have another chance to catch a Falcon 9 rocket take off into the dawn sky.
Should all go as planned, the SpaceX launch is set for no earlier than 8:32 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. SpaceX states it has until 10:56 a.m. to make the liftoff.
The mission, known as Starlink 10-57, is the next batch of 28 SpaceX Starlink internet satellites. The rocket will travel on a northeast trajectory upon liftoff.
The launch will not produce a Space Coast sonic boom, as just over eight minutes after launch the rocket’s booster will land on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX launch from Kennedy Space Center: Dragon boosts ISS
Update 7:34 a.m.: In case you missed it, the SpaceX Dragon from the CRS-33 mission successfully completed the first of its planned burns to raise the ISS.
“NASA contracted with SpaceX a few years ago to provide a reboost capability to the space station. As you know, the space station’s altitude slowly decays over time, due to the thin amount of atmosphere still at our altitude,” International Space Station Program Operations Integration Manager Bill Spetch said during an August prelaunch press briefing. “To counteract that drag, we must occasionally raise the altitude of the ISS.”
The boost on this current mission − a first by SpaceX − is provided by an independent propellant system located in the Dragon spacecraft’s trunk.
SpaceX launch countdown timeline
Update 7:26 a.m.: Here’s a behind-the-scenes rundown of SpaceX’s countdown timeline. T-minus:
SpaceX launch in Florida weather
Update 7:10 a.m.: SpaceX plans to now launch at 8:32 a.m. The Space Force Weather Squadron has predicted a 70% chance of favorable conditions.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Live updates: SpaceX rocket launch Friday morning from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
