SpaceX launch recap: Starlink mission Monday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Launch recap: Scroll down for live coverage of the Monday, March 4, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

It's a second straight SpaceX launch day!

Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team live coverage of tonight’s SpaceX Starlink 6-41 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

After sending Crew-8 into low-Earth orbit Sunday night on its six-month mission to the International Space Station, SpaceX is targeting 6:56 p.m. EST for its next Starlink launch.

After liftoff from Launch Complex 40, the Falcon 9 rocket will deploy a payload of 23 Starlink internet satellites into orbit.

No local sonic booms are expected during this mission. After soaring skyward along a southeastern trajectory, the rocket's first-stage booster will target landing aboard a drone ship out at sea 8? minutes after liftoff.

The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron forecast calls for 80% "go for launch" weather conditions at the Cape.

Countdown Timer

SpaceX Falcon 9 booster lands

Update 7:04 p.m.: The Falcon 9 first-stage booster just landed aboard SpaceX's drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out on the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 13th mission.

Liftoff!

Update 6:56 p.m.: SpaceX has just launched the Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 40 at fog-shrouded Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX launch webcast begins

Update 6:51 p.m.: SpaceX's launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted at the top of this page.

Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Fog reducing visibility at nightfall

Update 6:45 p.m.: It remains to be seen how visible tonight's Falcon 9 launch will be for spectators across the Space Coast.

SpaceX launch countdown timeline

Update 6:40 p.m.: Here's a behind-the-scenes rundown of SpaceX’s remaining launch countdown timeline. T-minus:

• 16 minutes: Second-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.

• 7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch.

• 1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks; propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.

• 45 seconds: SpaceX launch director verifies “go” for launch.

• 3 seconds: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start.

• 0 seconds: Liftoff.

SpaceX booster to land on drone ship

Update 6:31 p.m.: Tonight's mission marks the 13th flight for this Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SpaceX reported.

Following stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out on the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes, 15 seconds after liftoff.

SpaceX Falcon 9 fueling now underway

Update 6:21 p.m.: Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at Launch Complex 40, SpaceX just announced in a tweet.

That means tonight’s fog-shrouded Starlink 6-41 mission is now committed to lift off at 6:56 p.m., or else the launch must be postponed.

Dense fog advisory issued across Cape Canaveral

Update 6:07 p.m.: At 5:25 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory for northern Brevard County — including the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville and the Cape — through tomorrow morning.

Dense fog may reduce visibility to ?-mile to ?-mile, meteorologists warn.

"If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you," the NWS advisory said.

SpaceX launches Sidus Space satellite

Update 5:51 p.m.: Less than an hour ago, a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Sidus Space's satellite, LizzieSat-1, aboard the Transporter-10 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

All told, that SpaceX Transporter-10 rocket is expected to deploy 53 payloads, such as cubesats and microsats, in sequential order. LizzieSat-1 was scheduled to deploy one hour and 18 minutes after liftoff.

Based in Cape Canaveral, Sidus Space was formerly a division of Craig Technologies.

Space Force: Details behind 80% 'go' forecast

Update 5:36 p.m.: Following are details from the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron, which pegged the odds of favorable launch conditions at 80%.

"During the initial launch window Monday evening, any convective activity remaining is expected to be displaced across the interior and western portions of the peninsula, but a few showers and lingering anvils may persist locally," the squadron's forecast said.

"The main concerns for the primary launch window will be for the Cumulus Cloud Rule and the Anvil Cloud Rules," the forecast said.

The squadron also noted a low-to-moderate risk of upper-level wind shear.

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 at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Falcon 9 launch recap: Starlink mission Monday night from Cape