SpaceX launch recap: Starlink mission Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida

Rick Neale, Florida Today
Updated ·4 min read

Launch recap: Scroll down for live coverage of the Sunday, Feb. 25, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team live coverage of today's SpaceX Starlink 6-39 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

After a Saturday night scrub, SpaceX is now targeting 5:06 p.m. EST to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 will deploy a batch of 24 Starlink internet satellites, which are packed inside the fairing atop the 230-foot rocket.

This mission was initially scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but it got postponed roughly 24 hours instead.

No local sonic booms are expected. After soaring skyward along a southeastern trajectory, the rocket's first-stage booster will target landing aboard a drone ship out at sea 8½ minutes after liftoff.

Countdown Timer

SpaceX Falcon 9 booster lands

Update 5:15 p.m.: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster just landed aboard SpaceX's drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out on the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 13th mission.

Liftoff!

Update 5:06 p.m.: SpaceX has just launched the Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX launch webcast begins

Update 5:01 p.m.: SpaceX's launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted at the top of this page.

Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Cloudless pre-launch skies at Cape

Update 4:55 p.m.: Brilliant blue skies are prevalent above the Kennedy Space Center press site, where the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Launch Complex 40 are visible on the horizon.

As of a 3:55 p.m. reading, the National Weather Service noted fair skies, a temperature of 68, northeast wind of 9 mph and 10-mile visibility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX launch countdown timeline

Update 4:45 p.m. : Here's a behind-the-scenes rundown of SpaceX’s countdown timeline. T-minus:

  • 16 minutes: Second-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.

  • 7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch.

  • 1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks; propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.

  • 45 seconds: SpaceX launch director verifies “go” for launch.

  • 3 seconds: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start.

  • 0 seconds: Liftoff.

A Falcon 9 logged its 300th successful mission on Tuesday with SpaceX's Merah Putih 2 mission for the Indonesian satellite communications provider Telkomsat from Launch Complex 40.

SpaceX Falcon 9 fueling now underway

Update 4:33 p.m.: SpaceX just announced Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at Launch Complex 40.

That means tonight’s Starlink mission is now committed to lift off at 5:06 p.m., or else the launch must be postponed.

"All systems and weather are currently go for launch," SpaceX officials announced in a tweet.

KSC Visitor Complex to open for launch

Update 4:04 p.m.: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex officials announced the facility will remain open until 6 p.m. for SpaceX Falcon 9 launch spectators.

SpaceX launch prep underway in Brevard

Update 3:42 p.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency's launch operations support team ahead of the upcoming Falcon 9 launch.

Space Force: 95%-plus 'go' weather

Update 3:25 p.m.: The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron pegged the odds of "go for launch" weather at greater than 95%.

"There is very little concern for violation other than a stray cumulus cloud that could move off the coastal waters. For the new backup attempt, expect mostly clear skies to continue as winds shift southeasterly, with only a slight concern for onshore-moving cumulus clouds," the squadron's forecast said.

Those odds were also greater than 95% for Saturday night's scrubbed launch window.

SpaceX delays original 4:34 p.m. target

Update 3:06 p.m.: SpaceX is now targeting a 5:06 p.m. liftoff time, rather than 4:34 p.m.

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

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launch recap: Sunday Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral