SpaceX Falcon 9 breaks through low clouds Monday on mission to deploy Starlink satellites
From Cocoa Beach, spectators briefly watched the orange glow of a SpaceX Falcon 9 soaring skyward near sundown Monday for roughly 15 seconds before the rocket slipped behind layers of low-lying clouds.
The Falcon 9 delivered another payload of 23 Starlink broadband satellites into orbit after the 7:42 p.m. EDT dusk liftoff from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster wrapped up the Starlink 6-46 mission by sticking a landing aboard the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out on the Atlantic Ocean.
The booster previously launched Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER, USSF-124 and four Starlink missions, SpaceX reported.
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A National Weather Service high rip current risk and high surf advisory were in effect across breezy Brevard County during SpaceX's launch window. However, the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron had predicted greater than 95% odds of favorable weather for the launch.
The launch occurred five minutes after Monday's 7:37 p.m. sunset.
Next, Space Coast space fans will monitor the weather forecast for Thursday afternoon launch opportunities. The 16th and final Delta IV Heavy rocket is slated for liftoff at 1:40 p.m. Thursday from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
However, in a Monday morning email to media, United Launch Alliance officials said the odds of favorable weather only clock in at 30%.
If the Delta IV Heavy schedule holds, tune in Thursday to floridatoday.com/space for FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage and updates on the mighty triple-core rocket's last NROL-70 mission, starting about two hours before liftoff.
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
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Falcon 9 breaks through low clouds Monday on Starlink launch
