If all goes according to plan, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will jump from the Cape Canaveral Air Base Complex 40 pad Sunday night with one of the largest payloads ever launched by the company.

The teams have four hours – 23:28 Sunday at 3:28 am Monday – to launch Telstar 18 VANTAGE, a spacecraft of about 15,550 pounds in the geostationary transfer orbit before it's put into service on Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

The first stage of the rocket will target an automated descent and land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You shortly after takeoff before returning to Port Canaveral sometime in the middle of next week.

The weather, according to the Air Force, is 60% for the attempt Sunday.

Our coverage consists of three parts:

The cover begins at 22:30 Sunday at floridatoday.com/space and offer in-depth coverage, photos, graphics and more. You can ask questions to the team and start a conversation. We will host the live video of SpaceX.

In Central Florida?

If you're under clear skies, you can watch the east coast of the state to spot the launch of the Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral.

If you go out for the launch, bring your smartphone and stay tuned for live updates. The cover is available on floridatoday.com/space in your mobile browser or in the 321 LAUNCH app.

Contact Emre Kelly at [email protected] or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.

Launch Sunday / Monday

• Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
• Mission: TELSTAR 18V ​​from Telesat
• Launch time: Sunday 23:28
• Window: at 3:28 am Monday
• Launching Complex: 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Base
• Weather: 60% "go"

Join floridatoday.com/space for countdown updates and chat at 10:30 pm. Sunday, including the broadcast of the SpaceX webcast about 15 minutes before takeoff.

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