Updates: Sunday SpaceX Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral

Jamie Groh, Florida Today
·3 min read
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Update: Liftoff of Falcon 9 at 1:03 a.m. EDT with 56 Starlink 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 as SpaceX targets 1:03 a.m. ET Sunday, May 14, 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 95% chance of "go" weather conditions for liftoff.

If everything goes according to plan, the 230-foot rocket will fly from Launch Complex 40 along a southeastern trajectory with the latest batch of 56 Starlink internet satellites.

Shortly after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster will target a drone ship landing in the Atlantic Ocean. This marks the Space Coast's 23rd launch of the year.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

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Updates from Sunday's event below:

The Falcon 9 has landed:

1:12 a.m. ET: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster successfully landed aboard a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Liftoff of Falcon 9:

1:03 a.m ET: Liftoff of Falcon 9 with 56 Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Here's the post-launch timeline:

T-plus:

  • 00:01:12 minutes: Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)

  • 00:02:28 minutes: 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)

  • 00:02:31 minutes: 1st and 2nd stages separate

  • 00:02:38 minutes: 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)

  • 00:02:46 minutes: Fairing deployment

  • 00:06:13 minutes: 1st stage entry burn begins

  • 00:06:32 minutes: 1st stage entry burn ends

  • 00:08:08 minutes: 1st stage landing burn begins

  • 00:08:29 minutes: 1st stage landing

  • 00:08:36 minutes: 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)

  • 00:54:05 minutes: 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)

  • 00:54:07 minutes: 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)

  • 01:04:53 minutes: Starlink satellites deploy

Falcon 9 fueling underway:

12:30 a.m. ET: SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have begun fueling the Falcon 9 rocket for an on-time liftoff at 1:03 a.m. EDT. No issues with the rocket, the range, or weather have been identified so far.

SpaceX counting down to on-time liftoff:

11:30 p.m. ET: Teams at Launch Complex 40 are counting down to an on-time liftoff of Falcon 9 at 1:03 a.m. ET.

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 pre-launch checks

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

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

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

  • 00:00:00 Falcon 9 liftoff

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Updates: Sunday SpaceX Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral

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