It’s a meteorological coin toss: Will SpaceX launch a Falcon 9 rocket this afternoon on a Space Force GPS III satellite mission, or will cumulus clouds and summertime thunderstorms trigger a scrub?

Stay tuned. SpaceX is targeting a 15-minute window from 1:23 p.m. to 1:38 p.m. to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Falcon 9 will deploy a Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite into medium-Earth orbit, ascending along a northeasterly trajectory.

However, the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron only predicts 45% odds of “go for launch” weather, with “isolated towering cumulus clouds” and surface electric fields posing threats. The National Weather Service calls for a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms at the Cape — mainly after 2 p.m. — with a high near 91 degrees.

What’s more, forecasters cite a moderate risk of poor oceangoing conditions for the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out at sea for the first-stage booster landing.

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Check back for live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage updates on this page, starting about 90 minutes before the launch window opens. When SpaceX’s live webcast begins about five minutes before liftoff, look for it posted below next to our countdown clock.

For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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