Amid new FAA restraints, SpaceX goes for record launch tonight

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Nov 10, 2025

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The government shutdown’s strain on air traffic control has not only led to limitations on airlines, but spaceflight too.

Despite the Federal Aviation Administration having implemented space launch limits commercial launches to fall between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. starting Monday.

That has led to a pivot from SpaceX for several of its planned launches on the Space Coast including a record-setting one planned for Monday night.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-87 mission carrying 29 satellites is slated to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:21 p.m. Eastern time.

That falls within the new FAA limits, although the original launch window had been planned for earlier in the day.

This is the third flight of the first stage booster that will aim for a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed in the Atlantic.

Space Launch 45’s weather squadron gives a 60% chance for good conditions at the launch site, although upper-level wind shear and conditions at the booster recovery site are elevated. Weather would improve to a better than 95% chance for good launch conditions if delayed 24 hours, although booster weather recovery remains a watch item.

The launch is significant as it would be the 94th orbital mission on the Space Coast from all launch providers, one more than the record 93 flown in 2024. SpaceX’s early Sunday launch, also for Starlink, matched last year’s total.

SpaceX has been responsible for all by five of those launches with United Launch Alliance having flown four others, and Blue Origin having flown one.

Blue Origin could be on tap to be the 95th launch if its next attempt to get the second ever mission of its New Glenn rocket comes to fruition Wednesday.

Blue Origin worked with the FAA, though, to get an exception to the FAA launch limits, and will attempt to fly the NG-2 mission, which has a primary payload of a pair of Mars-bound satellites for NASA, during a window from 2:50-4:17 p.m.

ULA and SpaceX have several more missions with FAA approval lined up, although all have launch windows after 10 p.m.

Those restrictions will remain in place until the government shutdown ends.

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