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3 days ago
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Photos: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch in Cape Canaveral lights up Saturday morning sky
After an initial delay, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared off Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 28 Starlink internet satellites to orbit. The liftoff occurred 5:01 a.m. July 26, and brought brightness to the predawn sky. With the sun just below the horizon, a brief jellyfish effect put on a show for spectators. The next rocket launch is set for no earlier than 11:30 p.m. July 29. The mission will be another batch of Starlink internet satellites launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Photos: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida lights up Saturday morning sky Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
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Launch recap: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch in Florida lights up predawn Saturday sky
Launch recap: Scroll down to read live updates from the Starlink 10-26 mission which launched 5:01 a.m. from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Original story: Anyone waking up early Saturday morning will want to take a look outside, as SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket during the predawn hours. SpaceX has confirmed it is now targeting a 5:01 a.m. launch. The rocket will take off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and travel on a northeast trajectory. The mission is known as Starlink 10-26, and is the latest batch of SpaceX's Starlink satellites. Starlink is a satellite internet service by SpaceX, which delivers internet to customers in some of the most remote places on Earth. No Space Coast sonic booms will be heard, as eight-and-a-half minutes past the liftoff, the rocket's booster will land on a SpaceX drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral The launch takes place on a milestone date, marking 20 years since the STS-114 space shuttle mission took off from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B. The launch of Discovery on the STS-114 mission on July 26, 2005, marked the return to flight for the space shuttle after the Columbia tragedy investigation. Columbia broke apart during reentry on February 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts onboard. A more than two-year investigation led to the finding that the shuttle's thermal protection on the left wing had been damaged by a chunk of foam insulation that broke off during liftoff. Countdown Timer SpaceX Falcon 9 booster lands Update 5:10 a.m.: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster just landed aboard SpaceX's drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out on the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 22nd mission. SpaceX liftoff! Update 5:01 a.m.: SpaceX has just launched the Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral SLC-40! SpaceX launch webcast begins Update 4:56 a.m.: SpaceX's launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted above, right below the countdown clock. Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This morning's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch in Florida Update 4:51 a.m.: T-10 minutes! Head outside if you plan on catching this launch! If you have clear skies, it will be hard to miss the bright rocket rising into the predawn sky. Simply look towards the direction South of Kennedy Space Center from your direction. SpaceX launch countdown timeline Update 4:45 a.m.: Second-stage liquid oxygen loading should have now begun. Here's a behind-the-scenes rundown of SpaceX's 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 Falcon 9 fueling now underway Update 4:32 a.m.: Visual cues indicate Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at Launch Complex 40, though SpaceX has yet to make an official announcement. That means tonight's Starlink mission is now locked in to lift off at 5:01 a.m. without any countdown delays, or else the launch must be postponed. SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral Update 4:25 a.m.: The Falcon 9 launching this morning will see its 22nd flight. It previously supported 17 other Starlink missions. Other missions it saw include NASA's Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER-B, USSF-124, and Bluebird 1-5. SpaceX drone ship Update 4:10 a.m.: This morning's liftoff is still set for 5:01 a.m. There will be no Space Coast sonic booms, at the rocket's booster will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship, which is stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX launch prep underway in Brevard Update 3:55 a.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency's launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX's upcoming Falcon 9 launch. SpaceX Dragon prepared ahead of NASA Crew-11 launch Update 3:42 a.m.: NASA's Crew-11 astronauts will launch in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than July 31 from Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX posted this update on the Dragon reaching the hangar at the launch pad. The crew is slated to fly into Kennedy Space Center this afternoon ahead of the launch. SpaceX launch in Florida weather Update 3:30 a.m.: Weather is currently clear in Brevard. The 45th Weather Squadron has predicted a 95% chance of favorable conditions for this launch window. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Launch recap: SpaceX rocket launch in Cape Canaveral early Saturday Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
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Elon Musk's SpaceX will help Amazon launch competitor Kuiper satellites: Here's why
Amazon's internet-beaming Kuiper satellites could one day be a formative challenge to the Starlink constellation SpaceX has spent years amassing. So, why is SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company tech mogul Elon Musk founded in 2002, helping Amazon get the satellites into orbit? The next batch of Kuiper satellites are set to hitch a ride into outer space atop SpaceX's famous two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. Amid a brewing billionaire satellite battle between Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the collaboration may seem unexpected. But there is a perfectly logical explanation for the partnership: Amazon is paying good money to SpaceX for the lift. SpaceX's services come after the United Launch Alliance's mighty Atlas V rocket delivered the first two rounds of Project Kuiper satellites into orbit following liftoff from Florida. Here's what to know about the third-ever Kuiper satellite delivery mission – the first using a SpaceX vehicle. What is Project Kuiper? What to know about Amazon satellites launching from Florida When is the next Amazon satellite rocket launch? Amazon is planning to deploy another 24 Kuiper satellites into orbit as early as Wednesday, July 16, from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission is named KF-01 because it is the first Kuiper launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 – one of the world's most active rockets. As of Tuesday, July 15, a 27-minute launch window was scheduled to open at 2:18 a.m. ET Wednesday, July 16. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available at 1:57 a.m. ET Thursday, July 17, according to SpaceX. Once SpaceX's Falcon 9 deploys the satellites at 289 miles above Earth, Amazon's Project Kuiper team will take control from an operations center in Redmond, Washington, and raise them to an altitude of about 391 miles, according to Amazon. A successful delivery would bring the number of Kuiper satellites deployed to low-Earth orbit to 78. Why is SpaceX launching Amazon satellites into orbit? SpaceX is one of multiple companies Amazon has contracted to serve as a launch service provider on its Kuiper deployments. For instance, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, delivered the first 54 Kuiper satellites into low-Earth orbit across two launches on its Atlas V rocket. A total of 80 Kuiper launches are anticipated in the years ahead, the majority of which will use the ULA's Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur rockets. Eventually, Amazon will make use of the massive New Glenn rocket for Kuiper deliveries. The 320-foot spacecraft is being developed and operated by Blue Origin, the spaceflight company that Bezos also owns. Amazon is also planning to contract with European launch services provider Arianespace. What is Project Kuiper? Amazon's Project Kuiper intends to one day provide high-speed internet to customers around the world. To achieve that goal, the company has begun building a constellation of satellites linked to a global network of antennas, fiber and internet connection points on the ground. Amazon has touted the service as one that will benefit "unserved and underserved communities" in rural areas where internet access may be elusive. Project Kuiper is a subsidiary of Amazon, the online commerce behemoth that billionaire Bezos founded in 1994. An estimated $10 billion Amazon initiative, Project Kuiper includes a $140 million, 100,000-square-foot processing plant at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida that will prep Project Kuiper's satellites for launch from Cape Canaveral. Amazon estimates that Project Kuiper could begin delivering service to customers by late 2025, though it will take years for all 3,232 first-generation satellites to be deployed and operational in low-Earth orbit. Billionaire vs. billionare: Jeff Bezos competes with Elon Musk's Starlink The venture is meant to challenge Starlink, an internet satellite constellation service that billionaire Elon Musk has been building for about six years. SpaceX, which Musk founded in 2002, has launched more than 7,000 operational Starlink satellites into orbit since 2019 from both Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California. In 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, gave SpaceX the greenlight to increase its Falcon 9 rocket launches from 36 per year to 50. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX to help Amazon launch Kuiper satellites, competitor to Starlink
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
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SpaceX rocket to launch Amazon broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
In a partnership between rivals, Elon Musk's SpaceX is slated to launch a payload of Jeff Bezos' Amazon broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit during a late-night liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will take flight during a 1½-hour launch window extending from 2:10 a.m. to 3:38 a.m. Wednesday, July 16, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational advisory indicates. The Falcon 9 will deploy a batch of Project Kuiper satellites for Amazon's early stage satellite internet constellation, the Space Coast Office of Tourism reported. What's more, this mission represents the first of a three-launch contract. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage updates will kick off about 90 minutes before the early morning launch window opens. When SpaceX's live webcast begins about five minutes before liftoff, look for it posted below next to our countdown clock. In total, Amazon has more than 80 future launches lined up with SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin and Arianespace to create its $10 billion worldwide high-speed internet network, which should someday surpass 3,200 satellites. Amazon officials hope Project Kuiper will eventually compete with SpaceX's well-established Starlink constellation, which has nearly 8,000 satellites in orbit — and more than six million customers. But thus far, Amazon has only launched a combined 54 Project Kuiper satellites during two ULA missions — one on April 28, the second on June 23 — using Atlas V rockets from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Wednesday's SpaceX represents Project Kuiper's third launch of production satellites. On Sunday, July 13, SpaceX marked its 500 Falcon 9 mission by launching the Commercial GTO-1 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The liftoff sent Israel's first national communications satellite, Dror 1, up into orbit. "Built by Israel Aerospace Industries, this $200M 'smartphone in space' will power Israel's strategic and civilian communications for 15 years. A bold leap for Israeli innovation!" Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit 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@ 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: Internet rivals team up: SpaceX to launch Amazon satellites into orbit
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Science
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See photos: SpaceX launches Commercial GTO 1 mission from Cape Canaveral early Sunday
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Commercial GTO 1 mission at 1:04 a.m. Sunday, July 13 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Known as Dror-1, the payload was a geostationary communications satellite for Israel. No further details were released. The Falcon 9 booster saw its 13th launch and landing. Previous missions include seven Starlink missions, NASA's Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, and IM-2. When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Photos: SpaceX launches Commercial GTO 1 mission from Cape Canaveral
