Predawn sonic booms possible as SpaceX ready for launch early Tuesday

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Oct 12, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX is set to launch a cargo mission to the International Space Station before dawn Tuesday that could bring a sonic boom to Central Florida.

A Falcon 9 rocket on the CRS-35 mission topped with a crew Dragon spacecraft is set to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:33 a.m. Eastern time.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts a better than 95% chance for good conditions at the launch site, although there is a low to moderate concern for dangerous solar activity.

About eight minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster making its eighth trip to space will aim for a recovery landing back adjacent the launch pad at Landing Zone 40.

SpaceX warns that the return of the booster could bring the signature overpressure event.

“There is the possibility that residents of Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Seminole, Volusia, Polk, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions,” SpaceX stated in a media alert.

This is the 35th resupply mission for SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. This one is bringing up about 6,300 pounds of supplies and science and technology experiments.

This would be the 59th launch from the Space Coast from all providers in 2026, with all but seven coming from SpaceX.

This is the fourth trip to space for the cargo Dragon spacecraft on the mission, which has about a 52-hour flight ahead of it before it meets up with the space station, targeting docking on Thursday at 11 a.m.

It heads to the station after a parking spot opened up last week when Crew-12 departed the orbiting laboratory, as there are only two docking ports that can support Dragon spacecraft. The other port on the station is taken up by the Crew Dragon Grace that brought up Crew-13, including Central Florida and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, at the beginning of the month.

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