Anyone up for a morning rocket launch ? A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will potentially lift off on Thursday morning, carrying BlueBirds. But there won’t be actual birds on the rocket. “BlueBird” refers to a kind of satellite.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be carrying AST SpaceMobile’s first five satellites, called BlueBirds. According to a press release, the BlueBirds are part of “the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones designed for both commercial and government use.”
Weather permitting, the rocket launch might be visible in the sky above the Space Coast on the morning of Thursday, September 12. Here’s how to watch the SpaceX BlueBird-1 rocket launch this week.
Is SpaceX launching from Florida today? Thursday, September 12: SpaceX BlueBird-1
- Mission : A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch AST SpaceMobile’s first five satellites, called BlueBirds. According to a press release, the BlueBirds are part of “the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones designed for both commercial and government use.”
- Launch window: 4:52-9:21 a.m. EDT, per a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning.
- Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Live coverage: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team , which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space , starting two hours before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app , which is available in the App Store or Google Play , or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.