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Liftoff from Florida brings sonic booms Saturday night
Florida Today • • science
Key Points:
- The Globalstar 2-R mission launched at 9:12 p.m. on August 15, 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, delivering communication satellites to orbit.
- The Falcon 9 first-stage booster successfully landed at Landing Zone 40 approximately eight minutes after liftoff, producing twin sonic booms heard across the Space Coast.
- This mission marks the first eight of Globalstar’s HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites, part of a two-launch series that will deploy a total of 17 satellites to support emergency communication beyond traditional cellular coverage.
- The Falcon 9 booster used for this launch was on its 14th flight, having previously supported missions including NASA’s Crew-10 and multiple Starlink deployments.
- Weather conditions were favorable with a 90% chance of launch success, offering spectators clear skies to view the northeast trajectory ascent and booster landing.
