You can also watch the launch directly via SpaceX and on YouTube.
Thursday's flight is the 28th Falcon 9 mission for SpaceX so far in 2021.Related: SpaceX's most-flown Falcon 9 rocket is a sooty veteran after 10 launches.Thursday's pre-dawn flight will continue a busy month here on the Space Coast, with as many as five rocket launches on the calendar for December.Those launches include four Falcon 9s and one United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V.
To ensure that Thursday's Falcon 9 rocket is ready to fly, SpaceX briefly fired up the nine Merlin 1D engines on the rocket's first stage on Saturday (Dec. 4).After the rocket successfully carries the IXPE satellite into space, its first stage will touch down on SpaceX's drone ship, "Just Read the Instructions." Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more