SpaceX targets afternoon launch of 2nd Space Coast mission of 2026

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Jan 9, 2026

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SpaceX has the first of a series of afternoon launches in the next week on tap Friday with another Starlink mission from Florida's Cape Canaveral.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-96 mission with 29 more of the internet satellites is targeting 2:34 p.m. Eastern time in the middle of a four-hour window from 1:03 to 5:03 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.

This will be the 29th flight of the first-stage booster, which will aim for a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts a 95% chance for good launch conditions, which falls to 90% if delayed another day. The mission had originally been targeting a Thursday liftoff, but SpaceX delayed without citing a reason.

The company’s first launch from Florida this year came in the early morning hours of Jan. 4, but the next two are looking to take off during the daytime.

Next up is the Starlink 6-97 mission on Jan. 11 during a 1:08 to 5:08 p.m. window from SLC-40 using a booster for the 25th time. Then comes the Starlink 6-98 on Jan. 14 from SLC-40 during a 1:01 to 5:01 p.m. launch window using a booster for the 13th time.

After that SpaceX looks to return to overnight launches with the Starlink 6-100 mission from SLC-40 targeting a midnight to 3:17 a.m. launch window using a booster for the 24th time.

SpaceX flew all but eight the Space Coast’s record 109 orbital launches in 2025 with Blue Origin flying two and United Launch Alliance flying six.

ULA’s next launch is slated for Feb. 2 flying its new Vulcan rocket for the fourth time ever on the USSF-87 mission for the Space Force from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41.

Blue Origin has not announced a target date for its next flight of its New Glenn rocket.

Also on tap could be NASA’s Space Launch System rocket making its second launch on the Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B. Rollout of the rocket is expected next week with the first launch opportunity coming as early as Feb. 6. NASA’s goal is to get the first crewed flight of Orion on its way for a trip around the moon off the ground no later than April.

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