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Prepare for an early morning SpaceX-United Launch Alliance back-to-back rocket launch doubleheader within a five-hour span!
Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of the SpaceX Starlink 10-23 mission — followed by ULA’s Project Kuiper 2 mission — from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
First, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at 1:58 a.m. from Launch Complex 40. The Falcon 9 deployed 27 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit after ascending along a northeasterly trajectory.
Next, shortly after sunrise, ULA will launch an Atlas V rocket sporting five solid rocket boosters at 6:54 a.m. to deploy 27 Amazon Project Kuiper satellites. That rocket will lift off to the northeast from Launch Complex 41 at the Space Force installation.
The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicted 85% odds for the Project Kuiper 2 mission. Cumulus clouds comprise the primary watch item.
Update 7 a.m.: ULA officials have confirmed the Centaur upper stage is continuing its ascent, propelling the Project Kuiper satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Update 6:54 a.m.: Liftoff! ULA has just launched the Atlas V carrying 27 Project Kuiper satellites for Amazon from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Update 6:49 a.m.: ULA managers just conducted a readiness poll — and the mission is «go for launch.»
Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes.
Update 6:42 a.m.: Four minutes ago, ULA tweeted this live update:
«Status continues to be green across the board. Weather remains in our favor this morning, no technical issues are being addressed with the launch vehicle or pad systems and we are on schedule for liftoff.»
Update 6:34 a.m.: ULA’s live video launch broadcast is now embedded above, right below our countdown clock.
Update 6:24 a.m.: ULA officials just shared this live countdown update:
«The sun is rising on a beautiful morning along the Space Coast of Florida. At daybreak today, we are about a half-hour away from our high-performance Atlas V 551 rocket heading to space carrying the next batch of Project Kuiper satellites. The launch team is not working any technical issues.»
Update 6:16 a.m.: ULA officials shared this cutaway view of the two-stage Atlas V configured for Amazon’s Project Kuiper mission.
«The Atlas V 551 is the highest performance configuration of the rocket family with a full complement of five solid rocket boosters. It first flew in 2006 and has launched the New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto, the Juno orbiter to Jupiter, a variety of national security missions and Kuiper 1 on April 28,» a ULA live update said.
Update 6:06 a.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of ULA’s upcoming Atlas V launch.
Update 5:56 a.m.: As the sun’s rays illuminate Launch Complex 41, ULA announced the Atlas V is fully fueled and configured for the Project Kuiper liftoff.
Less than one hour remains before launch.
Update 5:45 a.m.: In a tweet, ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno announced crews are topping the Atlas V propellant tanks. Crews are working no issues. And «weather is holding and well within parameters.»
«Topping mode» will boost the rocket’s weight to 1.29 million pounds, ULA reported.
Update 5:35 a.m.: ULA officials just shared this video that explains Amazon’s Project Kuiper high-speed satellite internet system.
Update 5:20 a.m.: This ULA animated graphic depicts potential visibility for Atlas V launch spectators across much of the eastern United States, ranging from 30 seconds to 6½ minutes after liftoff along the ascending rocket’s northeasterly flight path.
Update 5:05 a.m.: Details from a ULA live update, which was issued 11 minutes ago:
«The countdown is passing two hours until liftoff time. We will be taking the clocks down to T-minus 4 minutes where they will hold for 60 minutes while managers perform the final readiness polls,» the update said.
«Fueling activities are progressing smoothly at Space Launch Complex-41. The Centaur liquid oxygen tank is full and we are continuing to load LOX on the Atlas stage and liquid hydrogen on Centaur,» the update said.
«We have a green board with no issues being addressed by the ULA launch team and continue to target 6:54:30 a.m. EDT,» the update said.
Update 4:50 a.m.: Weather balloons are being periodically released during the countdown to measure upper-level wind speeds and directions. Though the chance of «go for launch» weather remains 85%, technicians are wary of coastal showers drifting ashore over the pad.
«Coastal showers will be the main watch item for the initial launch window Monday morning with the Cumulus Cloud Rule the main concern,» the 45th Weather Squadron forecast said.
For this afternoon, the National Weather Service warns Space Coast residents of heat index readings reaching 97 to 102 degrees, accompanied by a «very high» ultraviolet light index.
Update 4:35 a.m.: The Centaur upper stage’s liquid-oxygen tank has reached the 75% level. This liquid oxygen is chilled to minus-298 degrees, ULA reported.
Meanwhile, the first-stage liquid-oxygen tank has reached the 40% level.
Update 4:25 a.m.: A National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational advisory shows SpaceX is targeting a 4½-hour launch window Wednesday afternoon for another Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry another payload of internet-beaming satellites to add to the Starlink constellation in low-Earth orbit.
- Launch window: 12:33 p.m. to 5:03 p.m.
- Location: Launch Complex 40.
- Sonic booms: No.
- Trajectory: TBA.
- Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Update 4:10 a.m.: Here is a gallery of images by FLORIDA TODAY Photographer/Videographer Craig Bailey and Senior Photographer Malcolm Denemark chronicling the Starlink 10-23 mission from a couple of hours ago.
Update 4 a.m.: ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno shared a brief mission update on X: «Mighty Atlas is champing at the bit.»
Crews are kicking off preparatory steps for fueling on schedule, ULA announced.
Update 3:50 a.m.: SpaceX officials confirmed that the 27 Starlink satellites did deploy into low-Earth orbit after a successful liftoff.
Update 3:38 a.m.: ULA crews are tracking no issues in the countdown, and activities are proceeding per the scheduled timeline.
«Final preps are underway to begin cryogenic propellant loading operations for the Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle. The two stages will be filled with 66,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen once the countdown resumes,» a 3:30 a.m. live update said.
«The launch pad crew recently completed its hands-on work to ready Space Launch Complex-41 for today’s mission and Launch Conductor Dillon Rice gave the instruction for personnel to depart the site in advance of fueling operations,» the update said.
Update 2:19 a.m.: Looking ahead, ULA will begin issuing Atlas V live updates in earnest at 3:30 a.m., per the company’s mission coverage schedule.
Just less than an hour ago, ULA reported «the Atlas V rocket is undergoing its guidance system test, the flight control steering check of the engine nozzle gimbaling is underway and the flame bucket cover is being retracted.»
Update 2:06 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 25th mission.
Update 1:58 a.m.: Liftoff! SpaceX has just launched the Falcon 9 carrying 27 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Update 1:52 a.m.: SpaceX’s launch webcast is now posted here.
Liftoff is scheduled in six minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Update 1:45 a.m.: Switching missions, ULA reported the odds of favorable weather for the upcoming 6:54 a.m. Atlas V launch have increased from 80% to 85% «with only a small threat of a coastal shower.»
«The outlook for launch time calls for scattered clouds, a chance of an isolated shower, good visibility, southerly winds of 10-15 knots and a temperature near 78 degrees F,» a ULA live update said.
All systems remain «go» for ULA’s launch.
Update 1:35 a.m.: As of 12:55 a.m., the most recent observation available, the National Weather Service reported fair skies with 10-mile visibility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The temperature clocked in at a pleasant 76 degrees, with a northeasterly breeze of 3 mph.
Update 1:25 a.m.: Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at Launch Complex 40, billowing white water vapor indicates.
That means the Starlink mission countdown is locked in to lift off at 1:58 a.m. without any delays, or else today’s launch must be postponed to a later date — again.
Update 1:15 a.m.: In addition to SpaceX’s upcoming launch from Florida’s Space Coast, the company plans to launch another Falcon 9 this afternoon from California.
That rocket will lift off at 5:18 p.m. EST from Vandenberg Space Force Base — a day later than originally planned because of unfavorable weather — on the Transporter-14 smallsat rideshare mission.
«There are 70 payloads on this flight, including cubesats, microsats, re-entry capsules, and orbital transfer vehicles carrying three of those payloads to be deployed at a later time,» SpaceX reported.
Update 1:05 a.m.: This morning’s Starlink mission will mark the Falcon 9 first-stage booster’s 25th flight, SpaceX reported.
The booster previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19 and 20 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, 16 seconds after liftoff.
Update 12:50 a.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.
Update 12:35 a.m.: SpaceX crews have pushed back the target liftoff time to 1:58 a.m.
Update 12:28 a.m.: SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch will clock in as the 52nd orbital rocket launch thus far during 2025 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center next door.
ULA’s Project Kuiper launch will up that running total to 53. 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.
Update 12:15 a.m.: Elsewhere at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, ULA crews kicked off the countdown a bit more than an hour ago for the upcoming 6:54 a.m. Atlas V launch.
«The application of power to the Atlas and Centaur stages is underway at the start of today’s countdown procedures. The stages are being powered up to begin launch day testing and final preparations for fueling operations,» ULA officials said in an 11:04 p.m. live update.
If SpaceX’s 1:29 a.m. target liftoff time holds true, that means both rockets will launch five hours and 25 minutes apart.
Update 12:02 a.m.: According to SpaceX’s Starlink 10-23 webcast, the Falcon 9 abort triggered with only 58 seconds remaining in the launch countdown.
The launch director cited «a poor FTS signal,» a likely reference to the rocket’s flight termination system.
Per SpaceX’s Falcon user’s guide: «Our launch vehicles are equipped with an autonomous flight termination system (AFTS) to limit the potential damage caused by a launch vehicle malfunction. The system terminates the flight of the vehicle automatically if mission rules are violated.
«The use of an AFTS requires fewer range assets to support launch operations, resulting in fewer range constraints and increased launch opportunities,» the guide said.
Update 11:50 p.m.: Following is the 45th Weather Squadron’s Starlink launch forecast discussion narrative, which was issued this morning:
«Deep onshore flow will continue through the early part of the week as Atlantic high pressure remains centered well northeast of the region. This will focus the highest concentration of afternoon and evening storms across the middle and western portions of the Florida peninsula over the next several days, with only widely scattered showers and storms each afternoon near the east coast,» the narrative said.
«A few showers and storms over the Atlantic waters may move onshore during the late night and early morning hours, thus representing the main weather concern for our future launch attempts,» the narrative said.
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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