Bailey Scott
SpaceX, billionaire Elon Musk’s private space company, plans to launch a satellite into low Earth orbit today from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Using their one-of-a-kind reusable Falcon 9 rocket, the company hopes to successfully get the GPS III-9 satellite, designed by aerospace company Lockheed Martin, into space. According to the United States Space Force, the satellite will become part of the Global Positioning System (GPS) operated by the U.S. Space Force and used by the U.S. military, various apps, and many consumer technologies across the U.S. and the world.
“These satellites are the primary navigation providers for all major U.S. military assets,” the U.S. Space Force said in a statement. “Our global financial markets, transportation systems, utilities, the ride-share industry, and our agriculture and construction industries also all depend on the positioning, navigation and timing signals from GPS satellites.”
The Falcon 9 rocket will separate into 2 sections after launch, with one section carrying the satellite into space, and the other hopefully making it back to down to Earth in one piece. SpaceX has launched roughly a dozen rockets so far in 2026, and has several more scheduled through February.
The launch was scheduled for yesterday, but was canceled because of bad weather.
Follow along for live updates.
Weather favorable for launch — 8:34 PM EST
SpaceX announced on X that the weather is favorable for tonight’s launch, and that propellant loading is set to begin.
Watch launch livestream — 8:38 PM EST
SpaceX is live-streaming the launch from their X account.
Brevard county begins preparations for launch — 8:41 PM EST
Brevard county, located near the launch site, has announced on X that is beginning its preparations for a launch in the window of 11:30 PM to 12:05 AM.
SpaceX launch graphic — 8:46 PM EST
SpaceX has released an image showing the intended maneuver of the Falcon 9 rocket.
Liftoff — 8:49 PM EST
SpaceX posted a video on X showing the successful liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket.
URGENT UPDATE – Potential Explosion — 8:53 PM EST
A video posted on X appears to show the rocket exploding after launch. SpaceX has not verified the video.
Reusable part of rocket lands safely — 8:56 PM EST
A SpaceX video posted on X shows the reusable section of the Falcon 9 rocket successfully landing on a SpaceX drone ship utilized for such landings.
Satellite successfully deployed — 9:00 PM EST
SpaceX has posted a video on X confirming that the GPS satellite has successfully been deployed.
SpaceX announces successful launch on Instagram — 9:04 PM EST
SpaceX has announced in a post on Instagram that they have successfully completed the launch, their third accelerated mission for the U.S. Space Force.
Bailey Scott is the editor-in-chief of the Lunar News Service, the premier news service from Earth’s first-ever Moon Colony.
Leave a Reply