BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – An undisclosed space operation is planned today from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — but neither SpaceX, NASA nor United Launch Alliance have scheduled any missions for liftoff, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
Will the Department of Defense try again to launch a hypersonic missile after two previous test flights were scrubbed? No announcements have been made.
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“The United States Government and space industry frequently conduct tests from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. We do not provide dates, times, or details in advance,” a spokesperson with the Office of the Secretary of Defense said via email this morning.
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Here’s what we know: A Federal Aviation Administration temporary flight restriction shows aircraft are prohibited from 10:30 a.m. to 2:27 p.m. across a swath extending from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center south to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and eastward over the open Atlantic Ocean.
The FAA issued this temporary flight restriction for “space operations.” No further details were released.
In addition, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and U.S. Coast Guard have issued “hazardous operations” advisories off the Cape. The Coast Guard advisory establishes a security zone and surveillance area with restrictions for mariners between 9 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.
These types of warnings are typically issued ahead of any launch activity from Florida’s Space Coast. A Space Launch Delta 45 spokesperson declined comment.
Mysterious launch advisories were similarly issued in March and September when the Department of Defense attempted to launch a hypersonic missile from the Cape on a flight test.
Crews stood down from the March 5 attempt after conducting pre-flight checks. A similar pre-flight scenario occurred during a Sept. 6 attempt.
“The Department was able to successfully collect data on the performance of the ground hardware and software that will inform the continued progress toward fielding offensive hypersonic weapons. Delivering hypersonic weapons remains a top priority for the Department,” the Office of the Secretary of Defense told FLORIDA TODAY in a statement after the September scrub.
Though SpaceX has yet to confirm the mission’s existence, navigational warnings indicate a rocket launch window will open Saturday night:
- Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
- Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Launch Window: 7:13 p.m. to 11:44 p.m. EDT.
- Trajectory: Southeast.
- Weather: TBD.
- Landing: Drone ship.
- Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
- About: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company’s latest batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
For the latest schedule updates, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here). Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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