Check back later to see the latest startup dates from the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team on this page.
SpaceX mission Polaris Dawn prepares the ground for the first commercial spacewalk
When SpaceX launches the Polaris Dawn mission this month, it will reach greater altitudes than any manned mission since Apollo — but that’s not all.
Overnight, Polaris Dawn’s four crew members will launch into orbit from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for their five-day mission – which will include a daring spacewalk outside their SpaceX Dragon capsule.
SpaceX is still aiming for a launch of its Falcon 9 Polaris Dawn rocket from Launch Pad 39A at 3:38 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. If there are delays, there are two backup options a few hours later, at 5:23 a.m. and 7:09 a.m.
No sonic booms are expected in Central Florida. After flying skyward on a northeasterly trajectory, the rocket’s first stage is scheduled to land in the Atlantic Ocean aboard SpaceX’s drone ship, A Shortfall of Gravitas.
In addition, a Federal Aviation Administration operational plan shows that SpaceX also plans to launch Starlink 8-6 from the neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Tuesday morning. That launch window extends from 2:13 a.m. to 6:43 a.m. — but it remains unclear whether SpaceX would attempt that launch so close to a manned mission.
The Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts an 80% launch probability for Polaris Dawn. The squadron has not issued a public forecast for the Starlink mission.
Check back to this page for live updates from the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team on the Polaris Dawn mission starting Monday at around 11:30 p.m. Once the live webcast from SpaceX on X (formerly Twitter) is available, approximately 3½ hours before launch, it will be posted below the countdown clock.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX and NASA rocket launch schedule from Florida
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a space reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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