Falcon 9 lifts off from KSC with EchoStar satellite
Update: Liftoff! Falcon 9 lifted off from pad 39A at 2 a.m. Thursday with the EchoStar 23 communications satellite.
The second SpaceX launch from a historic Kennedy Space Center pad will light up the Space Coast Thursday morning, but seeing it might be reserved for night owls.
SpaceX was targeting 1:34 a.m. for the 30th launch of Falcon 9 on Tuesday, but high winds forced a scrub at 12:54 a.m. SpaceX will try again on Thursday, with the launch window opening at 1:35 a.m. and closing at 4:05 a.m.
The Air Force said weather should be 90 percent "go" for a Thursday attempt – a significant improvement over Tuesday's 40 percent "go" status.
On board is EchoStar 23, a commercial communications satellite built by Colorado-based EchoStar Corp. Weighing in at 12,350 pounds, EchoStar 23 is heavy, meaning there won't be enough fuel left for a first stage landing attempt after Falcon 9 delivers it to a geostationary transfer orbit.
There are two parts to our coverage:
- Live video of the rocket launch, available here or at our Facebook page;
- A live chat with space reporter James Dean and digital producer Emre Kelly.
Coverage kicks off at 12:00 a.m. Thursday on FloridaToday.com and will feature in-depth coverage, photos, charts and more. You can ask the team questions and strike up a conversation. We'll host SpaceX's live video.
In central Florida?
If you're under clear skies, you can look to the state's east coast to spot Falcon 9 launch from KSC.
If you do step outside for the launch, bring your smartphone and stay tuned to live updates. The coverage is available at FloridaToday.com in your mobile browser and on our mobile (iOS and Android) and tablet (iOS) apps.
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter at @EmreKelly and on Facebook at Emre Kelly.