CRBC News
Science

Space Coast Readies Six Launches in Just Over Six Days as 2025 Breaks Records

Space Coast Readies Six Launches in Just Over Six Days as 2025 Breaks Records

Florida's Space Coast could host six launches over about six and a half days, part of a record-breaking 2025 launch cadence. The region has already surpassed the prior annual record of 93 launches, with 103 so far and No. 104 scheduled today. Key missions include the national-security NROL-77 flight, multiple SpaceX Starlink deployments and a ULA Atlas V carrying Amazon Leo satellites. If all proceeds as planned, the six launches will occur within six days, 11 hours and 21 minutes.

Six rocket launches in roughly six and a half days could make this the busiest week yet on Florida's Space Coast as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center continue a record-breaking 2025 launch cadence.

Col. Brian Chatman, commander of Space Launch Delta 45, noted that the slower "days of old" — when the Eastern Range supported only a dozen or two launches per year — are gone, replaced by a sustained, high-tempo launch schedule driven by commercial and national-security missions.

The region has already surpassed the previous annual launch record of 93 launches; the 2025 total stands at 103 so far, with No. 104 scheduled for this afternoon at Kennedy Space Center.

Planned Launch Sequence

Assuming no further delays, the slate of launches on the Space Coast is scheduled as follows:

  • Today (Starlink 6-92) — 4:14 p.m. SpaceX rescheduled its Starlink 6-92 mission after a Dec. 7 scrub due to persistent rain. Liftoff is slated from Kennedy Space Center.
  • Tuesday, Dec. 9 — 2:16 p.m. SpaceX Falcon 9 will carry the NROL-77 national-security payload for the Space Force's Space Systems Command and the National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station; sonic booms from the returning booster are expected in the area.
  • Thursday, Dec. 11 — 1:59 p.m. to 5:59 p.m. A Falcon 9 will launch 29 Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
  • Sunday, Dec. 14 (morning) — 8:37 a.m. to 12:37 p.m. A Falcon 9 will loft 29 Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center.
  • Sunday, Dec. 14 (night into Monday) — 9:43 p.m. to 1:43 a.m. (Dec. 15) A second Falcon 9 will begin an additional Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
  • Monday, Dec. 15 — 3:35 a.m. United Launch Alliance plans to launch an Atlas V carrying Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

If Starlink 6-92 lifts off at 4:14 p.m. today and ULA's Amazon Leo mission departs at 3:35 a.m. on Dec. 15, those six missions will occur within six days, 11 hours and 21 minutes — a compact stretch reflecting the new normal on the Space Coast.

Watching and listening: Residents may hear sonic booms during some booster recoveries. Local news and space-beat teams typically begin live coverage about 90 minutes before each launch; for updates and live streams visit floridatoday.com/space.

Why This Matters

This run of missions underscores a shift from sporadic, low-frequency launches to continuous, high-cadence operations that support commercial broadband constellations, government reconnaissance needs and expanding space infrastructure. That tempo raises new operational, environmental and community considerations — from range scheduling to local noise impacts — as the Space Coast adapts to far more frequent liftoffs.

Reporter: Rick Neale, Florida Today. Contact: Rneale@floridatoday.com. Live coverage typically begins 90 minutes before each scheduled liftoff.

Similar Articles