6.12.2025

SpaceX targeting Sunday for next Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida

Look for a SpaceX rocket to lift off into mostly cloudy skies Sunday, Dec. 7, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center during a four-hour window extending from late afternoon into the night.

The Falcon 9 rocket should launch from pad 39A between 4:40 p.m. and 8:40 p.m., lifting 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit along a southeasterly trajectory.

SpaceX's Starlink 6-92 mission will rank as the 104th orbital rocket launch of the year from Florida's Space Coast — further extending the ongoing annual record of 93 launches set in 2024.

On the meteorological front, expect a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Sunday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the National Weather Service reported. The forecast called for mostly cloudy skies with a high near 79 degrees and east-northeast wind of 5 to 10 mph, turning southwest in the afternoon.

Of note: Sunday's mission will mark the 32nd launch for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SpaceX reported.

The much-traveled booster previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, SES O3B mPOWER-A, PSN SATRIA, Telkomsat Merah Putih 2, Galileo L13, Koreasat-6A and 20 Starlink missions.

After liftoff, the booster will targeting landing on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.

Looking ahead, SpaceX has scheduled the NROL-77 national security mission — which will trigger Brevard County sonic booms — for liftoff at 2:16 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9.

That Falcon 9 will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a secretive mission for the Space Force's Space Systems Command and National Reconnaissance Office.

Quelle: Florida Today