You’ve probably been refreshing the SpaceX livestream or scanning the Florida horizon, wondering exactly what time is space launch today because, honestly, the schedules change faster than the weather in the Cape. Today, January 15, 2026, isn't just another day for orbital mechanics. We are seeing a massive shift in how missions are handled, specifically with the early return of Crew-11 and some major movements over in Asia.
The Big Event: Galactic Energy and the Ceres-1S
If you are looking for a vertical liftoff today, your eyes shouldn't be on Florida or California—they should be on the Yellow Sea. The Chinese private firm Galactic Energy is scheduled to launch its Ceres-1S rocket from a mobile sea platform.
The launch window is currently set between 12:05 PM and 12:26 PM PST.
For those of us on the East Coast, that’s roughly 3:05 PM. Sea launches are notoriously tricky. They rely on "sea states"—basically how choppy the water is—and any swell over a few meters can scrub the whole thing. This specific mission is carrying a payload that remains largely "TBD" in public filings, which is pretty standard for these quick-turnaround commercial missions.
Why Everyone Is Talking About Splashdown Instead
While the Ceres launch is the main "up" event, the biggest news in space today was actually a "down" event.
At 12:41 a.m. PST (3:41 a.m. EST) this morning, the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour splashed down off the coast of San Diego. This brought back the Crew-11 team—Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov—after 167 days on the International Space Station.
It was a "medical evacuation" of sorts. Well, NASA calls it an "adjusted timeline" due to a medical concern with one crew member. It’s rare. We don't see the ISS schedule get ripped up like this often. Usually, these missions are timed to the second months in advance, but they brought them home a month early. The crew is stable, but the mystery of which astronaut needed the early ride home has the space community buzzing.
Checking the SpaceX Manifest
If you're asking what time is space launch today specifically for a Falcon 9, you might have just missed the boat—or rather, the booster. SpaceX actually broke a pad turnaround record yesterday, January 14, at Cape Canaveral. They launched 29 Starlink satellites just 45 hours after the previous mission.
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Here is what the immediate SpaceX calendar looks like now:
- January 17: NROL-105 is scheduled for a 4:18 AM UTC liftoff from Vandenberg. This is a classified National Reconnaissance Office mission, so don't expect a lot of "pretty" camera angles of the payload.
- January 18: Another Starlink batch (Group 6-100) is hitting the rails at Cape Canaveral.
- January 21: Starlink Group 17-30 is targeting a window out of California.
Basically, if there isn't a SpaceX launch right now, wait 48 hours. They are currently launching at a rate of once every 2.5 days. It's becoming routine, which is wild if you think about where we were five years ago.
The Artemis II Factor: What to Watch This Weekend
While today is about Ceres and the Crew-11 recovery, the "big one" is moving on Saturday, January 17. NASA is rolling out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis II mission.
This isn't a launch yet, but the rollout is a 12-hour crawl from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B. It’s the first time a crewed Moon rocket has sat on that pad since the 1970s. If you’re near Titusville, that’s the event you actually want to see. The sheer scale of the SLS makes a Falcon 9 look like a toy.
How to Stay Updated Without Losing Your Mind
Space timing is a mess because of T-zero resets. A "launch time" is really just a "target."
- Check the NOTAMs: Pilots get "Notices to Air Missions" that tell them where not to fly. If the NOTAM is canceled, the launch is canceled.
- Follow the Weather: 45th Weather Squadron usually posts "L-1" forecasts. If you see "50% GO," start tempered expectations.
- The Venting Rule: If you’re watching a livestream and you don't see white gas (liquid oxygen venting) from the rocket by T-minus 10 minutes, they’ve probably paused the clock.
Actionable Next Steps
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If you want to catch the next domestic launch, set your notifications for the NROL-105 mission on January 17. Because it's a military launch, the window is often tighter and less prone to "holding" for minor issues. If you are tracking the Chinese Ceres-1S today, keep an eye on Galactic Energy’s social feeds around 12:00 PM PST for the final "Go" signal.
For those tracking the Artemis II rollout, the move starts early Saturday morning. It’s a slow burn, but it’s the most significant piece of hardware moving on Earth right now.