WATCH LIVE: SpaceX Falcon 9 Set for Late-Sunday Night Launch from Kennedy Space Center
By Space Coast Daily // March 8, 2026
WATCH LIVE: SpaceX Falcon 9 Set for Late-Sunday Night Launch from Kennedy Space Center
BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — The next rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for late Sunday night, when SpaceX plans to send a communications satellite into orbit aboard its reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
The mission, targeted for 11:14 p.m. on March 9, will lift off from Launch Complex 39A, one of NASA’s most historic launch pads that previously supported the Apollo Moon missions and the Space Shuttle program.
The Falcon 9 rocket will carry the EchoStar 25 communications satellite, a spacecraft designed to deliver television and data services across North America. The satellite, built on the Maxar 1300 satellite platform, features a high-power multi-spot beam system that allows providers to deliver expanded broadcast and broadband capabilities to customers.
Once launched, EchoStar 25 will travel to geostationary orbit, roughly 22,000 miles above Earth, where it will remain fixed relative to the planet’s rotation to continuously transmit signals to the same coverage area.
As with most modern SpaceX missions, the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster is expected to separate from the upper stage a few minutes after liftoff and attempt a controlled landing on a droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The reusable rocket system has become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s launch strategy, significantly reducing the cost of sending satellites and other payloads into orbit.
The upcoming EchoStar mission is part of a busy launch cadence along Florida’s Space Coast. Several additional Falcon 9 missions are scheduled in the coming weeks, including Starlink satellite deployments planned for March 12, March 15, and March 18.
These launches support SpaceX’s rapidly expanding Starlink constellation, a global satellite network designed to provide high-speed internet service worldwide.
Beyond commercial launches, NASA and its partners are preparing for major exploration missions from Kennedy Space Center later this year. Among the most anticipated is Artemis II, the first crewed mission in NASA’s Artemis program, which will send astronauts on a journey around the Moon as part of preparations for future lunar landings.
Weather permitting, the late-night launch should be visible across much of Florida and potentially along parts of the southeastern United States. Residents along the Space Coast typically gather at beaches, parks, and waterfront viewing areas to watch liftoff as the rocket illuminates the night sky.
However, launch times remain subject to change due to weather conditions or technical checks leading up to liftoff.
If successful, the EchoStar 25 mission will mark another step in the steady stream of commercial and government launches taking place from the historic Florida spaceport, reinforcing the region’s role as one of the world’s busiest gateways to space.
