Updates: SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 Starlink mission from Cape Sunday morning.

Jamie Groh, Florida Today
Updated ·5 min read
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Update: Liftoff of Falcon 9 at 8:20 a.m. EDT with 22 second-generation Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida! After a flight toward the southeast, the rocket's first stage also landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Read our full post-launch story here.

Follow live updates below as SpaceX targets 8:20 a.m. ET Sunday, June 4, for the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Forecasters with Space Launch Delta 45 have predicted a 90% chance of "go" weather conditions for liftoff of the first of two Falcon 9 missions that SpaceX has scheduled today, marking the Space Coast's 27th and 28th launches of the year.

SpaceX launch doubleheader: Two Falcon 9 rockets are set to fly from Florida on Sunday

The 230-foot rocket will fly from Launch Complex 40 along a southeastern trajectory with 22 second-generation V2 Mini Starlink internet satellites. Shortly after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster will target a drone ship landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX is set to fly another Falcon 9 rocket today but from nearby Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A instead. A Dragon capsule packed with thousands of pounds of cargo, supplies, and science experiments for the crew of the International Space Station will fly atop the 230-foot rocket.

Liftoff of SpaceX's CRS-28 mission for NASA is set for 12:12 p.m. EDT. Look for FLORIDA TODAY's live launch coverage to begin 90 minutes before liftoff at https://www.floridatoday.com/space/.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

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Updates from Sunday's event below:

The Falcon 9 has landed:

The Falcon 9 first-stage booster successfully landed aboard the "Just Read the Instructions" drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Liftoff of Falcon 9!

8:20 a.m. ET: Liftoff of Falcon 9! The rocket will now fly along an eastern trajectory and land on the "Just Read the Instructions" drone ship about eight minutes later. Here's the post-launch timeline:

T-plus:

00:01:12 minutes Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)00:02:32 minutes 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)00:02:35 minutes 1st and 2nd stages separate00:02:42 minutes 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)00:03:08 minutes Fairing deployment00:06:16 minutes 1st stage entry burn begins00:06:34 minutes 1st stage entry burn ends00:08:07 minutes 1st stage landing burn begins00:08:28 minutes 1st stage landing00:08:44 minutes 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)00:54:22 minutes 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)00:54:24 minutes 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)01:05:02 Starlink satellites deploy

T-minus ten minutes:

8:10 a.m. ET: Ten minutes remain until SpaceX attempts to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with 22 second-generation Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Here's what's left in the countdown:

T-minus:

00:07:00 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch00:01:00 minutes: Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks00:01:00 minutes: Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins00:00:45 minutes: SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch00:00:03 minutes: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff

Falcon 9 fueling underway:

7:50 a.m. ET: SpaceX has started loading kerosene and liquid oxygen into the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage at Launch Complex 40. Still counting down to a 8:20 a.m. EDT liftoff.

T-minus one hour:

7:20 a.m. ET: SpaceX continues counting down to liftoff of the Starlink 6-4 mission at 8:20 a.m. EDT. SpaceX reports that weather has improved to a 90% chance of "go" conditions, but upper-level winds are a concern. If the new time holds and the weather looks better, fueling should start about 7:42 a.m. EDT. Stay tuned.

New launch time:

4:45 a.m. ET: SpaceX is now working toward liftoff at 8:20 a.m. this morning of this Starlink mission from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the latest launch opportunity available for this mission today. According to SpaceX launch weather conditions are only 15% "go" for an on-time liftoff. Stay tuned as we get closer to fueling.

SpaceX working toward liftoff:

4:30 a.m. ET: Good morning. As far as we know, SpaceX teams at Launch Complex 40 are counting down to a liftoff of Falcon 9 at 5:56 a.m. ET. But SpaceX may have to target a later launch time this morning because the Falcon 9 rocket only went vertical on its launch pad a little over an hour ago. There are additional opportunities at 6:46 and 7:36 a.m. EDT. Stay tuned as we get closer to fueling.

Here's the pre-launch mission timeline:

T-minus:

  • 00:38:00 minutes: SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load

  • 00:35:00 minutes: RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins

  • 00:35:00 minutes: 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins

  • 00:16:00 minutes: 2nd stage LOX loading begins

  • 00:07:00 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch

  • 00:01:00 minutes: Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks

  • 00:01:00 minutes: Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins

  • 00:00:45 minutes: SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch

  • 00:00:03 minutes: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start

  • 00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Updates: SpaceX launched first of two Falcon 9 missions on Sunday