SpaceX, billionaire Elon Musk’s privately-owned space company, is launching a GPS satellite into orbit today, after a one-day weather delay.
The mission utilizes the company’s signature Falcon 9 rocket, famed for its reusability. It’s designed to separate in two mid-flight, with one piece placing the satellite in orbit and the other landing onto a launchpad back on Earth.
The mission will take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The GPS III-9 satellite, designed by Lockheed Martin, will join the U.S. Space Force’s network of satellites powering the ubiquitous location technology.
This marks SpaceX’s 16th launch in 2026, with 8 more planned for February alone.
Mission complete, SpaceX says — 2:42 a.m.
With deployment of the satellite into mid-Earth orbit, SpaceX says their third accelerated mission for the Space Force is complete.
Amid rumors of explosion, SpaceX reports success — 1:26 a.m.
SpaceX posted on X that their Falcon 9 rocket has successfully deployed the GPS III-9 satellite, seemingly debunking earlier online reports of a mid-air explosion.
Booster lands on Earth — 12:06 a.m.
The reusable first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket has landed back on Earth atop a droneship, SpaceX posted on X.
And we have liftoff — 11:54 p.m.
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying a GPS satellite has lifted off, according to a SpaceX post on X.
SpaceX releases rocket manuever map — 11:45 p.m.
SpaceX released a map of the launch’s planned maneuver into orbit.
Local county starts launch operations support — 11:42 p.m.
The Brevard County Emergency Management Office has activated their launch operations support from 11:30 p.m. to 12:05 a.m., according to their post on X.
Watch a livestream of the launch — 11:40 p.m.
Rocket fuelling begins in good weather — 11:16 p.m.
Fuelling for the Falcon 9 rocket has begun in “favorable weather” for the launch, SpaceX posted on X.
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