SpaceX launch recap: Live updates from Starlink mission Saturday from Cape Canaveral

Launch recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Saturday, Nov. 30, midnight liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 6-65 mission.

Original story: Amid the Thanksgiving shopping season, SpaceX is targeting a Small Business Saturday early-morning rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of tonight’s SpaceX Starlink 6-65 midnight mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 rocket is targeted for liftoff at 12 a.m. EST Saturday.

No late-night Central Florida sonic booms should occur. Rather, after soaring skyward from Launch Complex 40 along a southeasterly trajectory, the rocket's first-stage booster will target landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean roughly eight minutes after liftoff.

After stage separation, the Falcon 9's upper stage will deploy 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron pegs the odds of "go for launch" weather at 85%. Chief meteorological risks include thick cloud layers and liftoff winds, coupled with a low-to-moderate risk of upper-level wind shear.

Rocket photography: FLORIDA TODAY's 2025 Space Launch Calendar is here

Countdown Timer

SpaceX Falcon 9 booster lands

Update 12:08 a.m.: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster just landed aboard SpaceX's drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean, completing its sixth mission.

Liftoff!

Update 12 a.m.: Liftoff! SpaceX has just launched the Falcon 9 carrying 24 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX launch webcast begins

Update 11:55 p.m.: SpaceX's launch webcast is now posted above, right below our countdown clock.

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

SpaceX booster to land on drone ship

Update 11:48 p.m.: Tonight's mission marks the Falcon 9 first-stage booster’s sixth flight, SpaceX reported.

The booster previously launched CRS-31, Crew-8, Polaris Dawn and two Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes, 13 seconds after liftoff.

SpaceX targeting launch doubleheader (including California)

Update 11:38 p.m.: On the West Coast, SpaceX crews are also targeting a Falcon 9 launch in a few hours from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

This NROL-126 mission will launch five National Reconnaissance Office satellites and 20 Starlink satellites. That four-hour window opens at 3:10 a.m. EST Saturday, SpaceX announced.

SpaceX Falcon 9 fueling underway

Update 11:28 p.m.: Billowing water vapor indicates that Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at Launch Complex 40.

That means tonight’s Starlink mission countdown is locked in to lift off at midnight without any delays, or else the launch must be postponed.

SpaceX launch prep underway in Brevard

Update 11:15 p.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency's launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch countdown

Update 11 p.m.: Here's a rundown of SpaceX’s upcoming behind-the-scenes rocket countdown timeline. T-minus:

• 38 minutes: SpaceX launch director verifies “go” for propellant load.

• 35 minutes: Rocket-grade kerosene and first-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.

• 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.

SpaceX notches 400th Falcon 9 mission, 375th landing

Update 10:45 p.m.: The upcoming launch comes on the heels of SpaceX's Tuesday night Starlink 6-76 mission, which marked the company's 400th successful Falcon 9 mission and 375th overall booster landing.

Like the upcoming midnight mission, that launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center carried 24 Starlink satellites up into low-Earth orbit.

Space Force launch weather details

Update 10:30 p.m.: The 45th Weather Squadron's forecast noted that a cold front pushing through Central Florida would spark a few showers and shift winds from the north-northwest across the spaceport through the afternoon.

"Precip is expected to be done heading into the primary launch window at midnight, but the question of clouds remains. Most models still show an extensive post-frontal cloud deck hanging around, potentially flirting with the freezing level, and thus becoming a launch weather concern," the forecast said.

"Factors that play into this will also include how quickly winds above the surface swing out of the north-northeast and reinforce the post-frontal inversion. The most problematic cloud decks will push south through the window, though a low-topped stratocumulus deck will likely remain," the forecast said.

"Post-frontal winds will also be a watch item, though the strongest winds will occur a few hours ahead of the window with speeds, while remaining breezy, diminishing through the late night," the forecast said.

For the latest news and launch schedule 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. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launch recap: Live updates from Saturday Starlink 6-65 mission