Live coverage: SpaceX to launch a Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral as it begins publicly trading its stock on the Nasdaq for the first time

File: A Falcon 9 rocket stands in the launch position at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of the planned liftoff of the Starlink 6-61 mission on Oct. 22, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

SpaceX will mark its historic launch on the stock market Friday morning with a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This will be the 650th flight of SpaceX’s workhorse launcher to date and the 68th Falcon 9 launch so far in 2026. SpaceX will fly the Starlink 10-54 mission, which will send 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 is scheduled for 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 UTC), which is less than an hour before the trading day on the Nasdaq Stock Market opens. The rocket will fly on a north-easterly trajectory upon leaving the pad.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.