Scrub! SpaceX postpones Starlink launch to Saturday amid rainy, windy day in Brevard

Rick Neale, Florida Today
Updated ·2 min read

SpaceX crews have postponed Friday night's rocket launch attempt roughly 24 hours — to Saturday night — after company officials warned they faced a windy, rain-soaked forecast with only 20% odds of favorable weather at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Now, SpaceX is targeting 7:29 p.m. EDT Saturday to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A. Backup opportunities are available until 11:29 p.m., should more delays arise.

The Falcon 9 will deploy a payload of 23 broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit on the Starlink 6-42 mission.

The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron calls for a 75% chance of "go for launch" weather during Saturday's four-hour window — a marked meteorological improvement.

Cape Canaveral: SpaceX Dragon soars under sunny skies Thursday to dock with International Space Station

"A low pressure area is moving across the Big Bend area of Florida, bringing gusty winds, showers, and isolated thunderstorms throughout Florida. On Saturday, the low pressure will be tracking up the Eastern Seaboard, leaving the Spaceport with northwesterly winds and isolated, wrap-around showers," the squadron's forecast said.

"The primary launch weather concerns will be Liftoff Winds and the Cumulus Cloud Rule associated with the isolated showers," the forecast said.

No local sonic booms are expected, unlike Thursday's NASA-SpaceX launch that sent a Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. Rather, after soaring skyward along a southeasterly trajectory, the rocket's first-stage booster will target landing aboard a drone ship out at sea 8½ minutes after liftoff.

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

Spectators wait for NASA's SpaceX CRS-30 liftoff Thursday afternoon at Nicol Park in Port St. John.
Spectators wait for NASA's SpaceX CRS-30 liftoff Thursday afternoon at Nicol Park in Port St. John.

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

Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Scrub! SpaceX postpones Starlink launch attempt to Saturday night