SpaceX is back on the job again with an overnight SpaceX launch in the early morning hours of Wednesday, as navigation warnings and weather forecasts provide near-perfect conditions to launch.

The Falcon 9 rocket will depart at 1:38 a.m. Eastern Time from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, releasing 28 Starlink broadband satellites to low-Earth orbit. The backup windows in the event of a delay are available through 5:38 a.m.

This Starlink 10-18 mission will follow a northeastern trajectory and is another addition to the growing Starlink satellite constellation of SpaceX. Once operational, these satellites will contribute towards improving global internet connectivity, especially in remote and underserved regions.

Pristine Weather for Liftoff

Launch conditions could not be better. The U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron is forecasting a 95% go-for-launch weather, with only the remotest chance of isolated coastal showers possibly producing a few cumulus clouds.

This near-flawless prediction is a welcome respite for SpaceX, which has long suffered from the unpredictable weather of Florida. For late-night observers, the clear sky may hold the promise of a stunning night show with the Falcon 9 blasting into the predawn darkness.

No Sonic Booms Anticipated

Unlike some of the SpaceX launches that produce sonic booms heard as returning first-stage, this launch will not produce any in Brevard County. This is because the Falcon 9 first-stage booster will be trying to land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, about eight minutes after launch.

This sea landing reduces noise for coastal residents and continues SpaceX's practice of recovering and recycling rocket parts — an essential component of its business model and sustainability goal.

A Whirlwind Week of Space Launches

The overnight SpaceX launch comes on the heels of a Monday afternoon scrub by the United Launch Alliance (ULA) of a planned Atlas V launch. That flight would have carried Amazon's second batch of Project Kuiper satellites as part of a rival internet constellation initiative.

ULA officials mentioned issues of a high temperature that was found in the Atlas V booster engine, which seems to be connected to a faulty gaseous nitrogen purge line. The engineers are examining the issue, and no new launch time has been announced yet.

With the ULA setback, SpaceX is back in the spotlight, reasserting its dominance of the commercial spaceflight industry. The company has been registering a steady pace of Starlink launches, helping to solidify its low-Earth orbit broadband network as global demand for fast and secure internet intensifies.

Eyes to the Skies — and the Future

For space enthusiasts and night owls everywhere, an overnight SpaceX launch late at night is another exciting development in the new era of commercial spaceflight. On the Florida coast or through live online, the launch will be a breathtaking spectacle — and testament to just how far commercial space travel has come.

If it proceeds on schedule, the mission will further establish the ability of SpaceX's Falcon 9 system, its successful drone ship recoveries, and its continued expansion of the Starlink constellation — a mission Elon Musk hopes will eventually fund missions to Mars. Listen live and catch the latest news as launch teams finish pre-flight preparations in the hours leading up to this dawn flight.