CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX set a new record launch cadence this year, averaging a rocket launch nearly every week.
To cap off a busy 2022, the private space company plans to launch its 60th rocket and final Falcon 9 launch from Florida this year.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch another batch of internet-beaming Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Wednesday morning. The Falcon 9 launch window opens at 4:30 a.m. EST with a 4:40 a.m. targeted liftoff.
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According to the Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees the Eastern Range, the Falcon 9 will take a southern route down Florida’s east coast. The trajectory means early risers in South Florida could have a good view of the rocket as it’s headed toward orbit.
Weather for the morning liftoff will be near perfect, according to forecasters with the 45th Weather Squadron. According to the latest forecast, there is less than a 10% chance of weather causing a launch violation.
A high-pressure system spreading across the Southeast will bring clear skies to Florida’s coast Tuesday afternoon and into the overnight hours.
“Favorable local weather is expected for Wednesday and Thursday, with only a very slim threat of low-topped cumulus clouds interfering with the launch opportunities either morning,” Space Force launch officers wrote in the forecast.
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The rocket launch will mark SpaceX’s sixth in December alone, the 60th of 2022 and 197th launch for the company overall. Last year, SpaceX launched 31 missions.
SpaceX has another Falcon 9 launch scheduled from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday night.
Elon Musk’s company has been launching Starlink satellites by the dozens for the last several years as it expands the global internet coverage of Starlink using a constellation of thousands of spacecraft. Dozens of countries and remote areas have access to Starlink service, including the Antarctic.
According to SpaceX, more than 1 million active Starlink customers use the space-based internet around the globe.