SpaceX rocket launch overnight from Cape Canaveral: Everything to know

SpaceX is targeting its next Falcon 9 rocket launch in third-shift darkness during early morning hours Tuesday, April 14, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX's four-hour launch window will extend from 2:13 a.m. to 6:13 a.m. After ascending to the northeast from Launch Complex 40, the Falcon 9 will deploy 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies overnight Monday at the Space Force installation, with a low near 65 degrees and east wind about 10 mph.

No Central Florida sonic booms should occur -- unlike during SpaceX's NG-24 mission Saturday morning. Rather, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster should conclude its 26th flight by landing aboard the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.

Check back for live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage updates on this page, starting about 90 minutes before the launch window opens. When SpaceX's live webcast begins about five minutes before liftoff, we'll post it below next to our countdown clock.

For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly 321 Launch space newsletter.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY,where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1