SpaceX Targets Launch of 28 Starlink Satellites This Thursday Morning

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — SpaceX is scheduled to launch 28 of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit early Thursday morning. The company plans to lift off its Falcon 9 rocket from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:47 a.m. EDT (10:47 UTC).

This launch marks SpaceX’s 69th orbital mission from Florida in 2025. The four-hour launch window opens at sunrise, providing a tight timeframe for the mission.

The 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 90 percent chance of favorable weather for the liftoff. Meteorologists noted on Wednesday that they expect only minor issues with low clouds pushing onshore from the Atlantic Ocean.

“Winds overnight and early morning are expected to support a more southwesterly flow, reducing the risk of cumulus clouds affecting the launch,” launch weather officers stated.

SpaceX will utilize the Falcon 9 first stage booster B1085 for this mission, which will be its 10th flight. Previous missions for this booster include NASA’s Crew-9 and Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1.

Approximately 8.5 minutes after launch, B1085 will attempt to land on the droneship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ in the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, this will be the 132nd landing for the drone ship.

Additionally, veteran astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are preparing to fly a SpaceX Dragon capsule later this year, with photos of their training recently released.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is also recovering from recent launch scrubs due to a boat entering restricted waters and propellant loading issues. The upcoming mission follows a successful launch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper mission earlier this month.

As SpaceX continues its ambitious launch schedule, they have already conducted 100 missions in 2025, including significant milestones for the Starlink broadband network.