CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – SpaceX is preparing to launch a Falcon 9 rocket Today, June 30, to deliver an updated Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) to the orbit of the U.S. Space Force and you can view it live online.
The flight, the 11th launch from the California-based rocket maker this year, is scheduled to take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida during a 15-minute window that opens at 3:55 pm (1955 GMT).
You can watch the live launch here and on the Space.com home page, courtesy of SpaceX, starting approximately 15 minutes before takeoff. You can also watch the launch directly from SpaceX here.
Related: The US GPS satellite network explained
This is SpaceX’s third launch this month and the third launch of a next-generation GPS III satellite updated to date. First released in a different Falcon 9 rocket in December 2018, while the second thrown over the last Delta IV Medium in August 2019. SpaceX has secured upcoming releases as the military works to update the old network.
Built by Lockheed Martin, the new batch of satellites is the most powerful ever created, thanks to built-in anti-interference capabilities and new technology that will produce signals that are three times more accurate and up to eight times more powerful than previous iterations.
In stark contrast to Starlink’s launches earlier this month, which featured used Falcon 9 thrusters, a shiny new Falcon 9 is the star of today’s mission, a requirement set by the Air Force. Called the B1060, the amplifier will bring an advanced global positioning satellite into orbit to replace an older satellite that was launched 20 years ago.
Related: China launches final Beidou satellite for GPS-type navigation system
This mission is SpaceX’s first for the US Space Force, under the newly established US Space Force, which was signed in stock by President Donald Trump in December 2019. The Space Force will operate under the Department of the Air Force and will oversee all space operations.
The mission also marks the first time the company will attempt to launch and get a boost as part of a national security launch. During the last GPS III mission in 2018, SpaceX flew its Falcon 9 in an expendable configuration, with no grille fins or landing legs, and it did not recover the first stage as it normally does. But the company received the approval of the Space Force to recover the first stage.
To that end, SpaceX’s drone, Just Read the Instructions, departed from Port Canaveral over the weekend before its planned recovery attempt. The ship is parked 394 miles (634 kilometers) in the Atlantic Ocean, awaiting the first stage of Falcon 9 when it returns to Earth approximately 8 minutes after takeoff.
Today’s release comes a few days later. SpaceX had to withdraw of what would have been his third Starlink flight this month. That mission featured a veteran of SpaceX’s gently used Falcon rocket fleet. The booster would have been the company’s third to fly five times. However, the company postponed the launch citing the need for additional pre-flight testing.
That mission was established in loft 57 satellites that broadcast the Internet to help build the SpaceX megacontellation called Starlink, along with two Earth observation satellites for BlackSky. The flight was part of SpaceX’s new ride-sharing program, which started on June 13 when 58 Starlink satellites launched with a trio of small satellites for the Earth Planet imaging company.
The weather for today’s launch looks promising, as forecasters predict a 60% probability of favorable conditions at takeoff. It is summer in Florida and that means that afternoon storms could be a problem. According to meteorological authorities, the main concerns are storm clouds, which have the potential to produce lightning, a launch hazard.
SpaceX’s two fairing hunters, GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief, are stationed in the recovery area. It is unclear whether SpaceX will attempt to catch the fairings as they fall back to Earth, or whether they will simply pick them up after landing in the water.
The company has been successful in its attempts to reuse more of the rocket. The nose cone of the rocket, also known as a payload fairing, represents approximately 10% of the cost of the rocket. By reusing them, SpaceX could save up to $ 6 million per flight.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
