Stunning sunset illuminates Cape Canaveral -- but SpaceX scrubs Falcon 9 launch Thursday

Rick Neale, Florida Today
Updated ·2 min read
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Editor's note: SpaceX pushed back Friday's liftoff target time to 5:07 p.m. EDT.

Original story: Picture-perfect: Bathed in brilliant hues, a gorgeous sunset and glowing clouds illuminated the sky surrounding Cape Canaveral mere minutes before Thursday's 8:30 p.m. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch.

FLORIDA TODAY photographers marveled at the sight, cameras ready for launch. But alas, in an 8:20 p.m. tweet, SpaceX officials announced they were scrubbing the mission because of weather.

"I wish it would have gone. That would have been a calendar shot," said Senior Photographer Malcolm Denemark, who was positioned on the sand in Cocoa Beach.

Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida

Sunset occurred at 8:21 p.m. at the Cape, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. Denemark described the scene as "one of those epic after-the-storm Florida sunsets."

Now — after unsuccessful attempts Wednesday and Thursday — SpaceX is targeting 4:35 p.m. Friday for the star-crossed Starlink 10-2 mission. When finally aloft, the Falcon 9 will lift 22 broadband satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Crowds in Cocoa Beach gathered on the sand and looked toward these clouds about 8:25 p.m. awaiting Thursday's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch during "one of those epic after-the-storm Florida sunsets," but crews scrubbed the attempt.
Crowds in Cocoa Beach gathered on the sand and looked toward these clouds about 8:25 p.m. awaiting Thursday's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch during "one of those epic after-the-storm Florida sunsets," but crews scrubbed the attempt.

In addition to drenching South Florida with torrential downpours and widespread flooding, Invest 90L's towering clouds and rain cells triggered the back-to-back thwarted launch attempts at the Cape.

Though the tropical disturbance swept offshore Thursday, inclement weather triggered nearly four hours of delays as SpaceX crews pushed the target liftoff time from 4:46 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the end of the launch window.

FLORIDA TODAY Photographer/Videographer Craig Bailey snapped this sunset shot of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building on Thursday night at Kennedy Space Center.
FLORIDA TODAY Photographer/Videographer Craig Bailey snapped this sunset shot of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building on Thursday night at Kennedy Space Center.

For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX scrubs Starlink launch try amid amazing sunset at Cape Canaveral

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