9.05.2025

SpaceX targeting early morning Falcon 9 launch May 10 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Attention night owls: SpaceX looks set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket during the early morning hours Saturday, May 10, within a 4½-hour window that extends past sunrise.

This launch window lasts from 2:28 a.m. until 6:59 a.m., a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows. SpaceX has yet to announce a target liftoff time.

The 229-foot rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, soar in a southeasterly trajectory, and deploy a payload of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.

However — amid a rainy week across drought-impacted Brevard County — the National Weather Service forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies and a chance of showers after 2 a.m. May 10 at the military installation. So inclement weather could prove a factor.

By way of context, this mission is slated as the Space Coast's 40th orbital launch of the year from the Space Force installation and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center. That's a full 2½ weeks earlier than the 40th launch of last year, which occurred on May 28, 2024.

The Space Coast set a new record of 93 orbital launches last year.

What's more, the upcoming May 10 Starlink mission comes as SpaceX officials seek FAA environmental approval to boost the company's number of yearly Falcon rocket launches to 120.

Quelle: Florida Today