SpaceX Prepares Midnight Starlink Launch Amid Weather Concerns

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX is set to launch its latest batch of Starlink satellites early Tuesday morning, despite uncertain weather conditions. The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Starlink 13-1 mission, is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 12:24 a.m. EST (0524 UTC).

The 45th Weather Squadron forecasted an 85% chance of favorable conditions at the start of the launch window, but that likelihood drops to 40% by the end. “The main weather concern is likely to be thick cloud layers, with a smaller embedded cumulus cloud threat as rain coverage increases late,” launch weather officers stated. If the launch is postponed, the 24-hour backup window has only a 10% chance of favorable weather.

The Falcon 9 booster, tail number B1083, will be making its eighth flight. It previously supported missions including Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, and CRS-31. After stage separation, the booster will attempt to land on the droneship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ in the Atlantic Ocean. A successful landing would mark the 95th recovery for the droneship and the 399th booster landing overall.

This mission will deploy 21 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 43-degree inclination orbit. SpaceX has launched 2,963 Starlink satellites to date, with 2,866 currently operational. The company aims to deploy approximately 7,500 satellites to complete its internet megaconstellation.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, powered by nine Merlin 1D engines, is the only reusable orbital rocket in service today. The company has completed 442 missions to date, with this launch marking its ninth mission of 2025.