Weather iffy for next SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday night

Update: SpaceX crews are now targeting the Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit for 10:47 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 19. If needed, four backup opportunities are available between 11:38 p.m. and 1:46 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Original story: SpaceX is targeting its next Starlink internet satellite mission for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a window that extends from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

Though SpaceX hadn't yet confirmed the mission, navigational warnings suggest that a Falcon 9 is slated to fly from Launch Complex 40 during a 4½-hour launch window scheduled from 9:47 p.m. to 2:18 a.m. EDT Wednesday.

The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron pegs the odds of "go" conditions at 60% for the possible launch.

"The most likely weather violation to occur during the primary launch opportunity is cumulus clouds associated with onshore-moving showers," the squadron's forecast said.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service station in Melbourne expect a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday night at the Space Force station, with a low around 74, mostly cloudy skies, and east-northeast wind of 5 to 10 mph.

Packed in the rocket's protective nose cone for the Starlink 6-17 mission is another batch of the company's internet-beaming satellites. After liftoff, the 230-foot rocket will follow a southeasterly trajectory along Florida's Atlantic coast before targeting a first-stage booster landing aboard a drone ship near the Bahamas.

If schedules hold, this would become the Space Coast's 50th launch this year.

What is SpaceX's Starlink constellation?

SpaceX's Starlink constellation operates about 340 miles above Earth and provides nearly global internet service to hard-to-reach destinations and customers on every continent.

To date, the company has sent more than 5,000 of the flat-packed satellites to orbit since first beginning dedicated missions in 2019.

Launch Tuesday, Sept. 19

Company / Agency: Internal SpaceX mission.
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9.
Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Launch window: 9:47 p.m. EDT. Tuesday to 2:18 a.m. EDT Wednesday.
Trajectory: Southeast.
Weather: 60% chance of "go" conditions.
Landing: Drone ship — A Shortfall of Gravitas.
Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
About: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's latest batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.