SpaceX waits out storms, launches Falcon 9 on Starlink mission Saturday night from KSC

After a series of storm cells packing lightning swept past the Cape — triggering a three-hour, 40-minute launch delay — SpaceX finally launched a Falcon 9 rocket near the tail end of the mission's launch window Saturday night from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The Falcon 9 lifted off from pad 39A in the pre-midnight darkness at 11:09 p.m. EDT. Original target time: 7:29 p.m.

Ascending in a southeasterly trajectory, the 230-foot rocket deployed another payload of 23 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The Falcon 9 first-stage booster descended and landed aboard SpaceX's drone ship Just Read the Instructions out on the Atlantic Ocean, completing its 19th mission. This well-traveled booster previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, Intelsat G-33/G-34, Transporter-6, Intuitive Machines IM-1 and a dozen Starlink missions, SpaceX reported.

Just Read the Instructions notched its 75th booster landing with Saturday's Starlink 6-42 mission.

Hours earlier, by roughly 6:30 p.m., National Weather Service meteorologists began issuing a sequence of special marine warnings for swaths of offshore waters just north of the Cape. Extending from the Brevard County line northward to Flagler Beach, these alerts warned boaters of potential wind gusts topping 40 knots, large hail, possible waterspouts and steep waves.

SpaceX crews had previously postponed the Starlink mission's Friday night launch attempt after gloomy rain and winds lingered much of the day across the Space Coast.

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

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 (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX waits out storms, launches Falcon 9 Saturday night from KSC