SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance apparently aren't feeling superstitious this Friday the 13th.
That's because both spaceflight companies are planning rocket launches Friday, Nov. 13 from Texas and Florida.
The action begins early this afternoon, when the ULA aims to get its Vulcan rocket off the ground from Cape Canaveral, Florida on a mission to deploy broadband internet satellites to space for billionaire Jeff Bezos' Amazon. Then, SpaceX's massive Starship rocket could lift off early in the evening on its 15th ever test flight from South Texas as tech mogul Elon Musk's company develops it for satellite deployments and interplanetary travel.
Here's everything to know about today's Friday the 13th rocket launches in the United States.
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United Launch Alliance to launch Vulcan rocket in Florida
Nine months have elapsed since the United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket has launched from Florida. Now, Vulcan is due to fly once again after an anomaly in February left it grounded.
A 29-minute launch window opens at 12:54 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 13 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station near Florida's Atlantic coast, according to the ULA, a joint venture between aerospace contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Ahead of the rocket is a mission to deploy 40 satellites to low-Earth orbit for the Amazon Leo constellation, according to the company.
The constellation, which is anticipated to grow to about 3,200 satellites, is meant to rival SpaceX's Starlink service by providing high-speed internet to customers around the world. Vulcan's payload will push the fledgling constellation to 336 satellites deployed since April 2025.
The mission will mark the first time the Vulcan rocket deploys Amazon satellites, and the first time since its January 2024 debut that it's flying with the maximum six solid rocket boosters mounted to the side. For spectators, that means it should put on quite a show as it soars over the East Coast.
For more on the Vulcan rocket launch, click here.
SpaceX eyes Starship flight 15 in Texas
Regarded as the world's largest and most powerful rocket, SpaceX's 407-foot Starship is due to launch once again in South Texas.
The 75-minute launch window opens at 5:45 p.m. ET, with Starship once again lifting off from SpaceX's Starbase headquarters and company town near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to SpaceX.
The mission would mark the 15th flight test for Starship since April 2023 as SpaceX develops the rocket for crewed missions to the moon and Mars. Starship is also central to SpaceX's plan to expand and bolster its Starlink satellite network as it phases out its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.
Starship's upper stage just reached orbit for the first time at the end of September. Now, SpaceX is looking to notch another milestone: catching both the lower and upper stages of the rocket back at Starbase so each piece of hardware can be reused on future flights.
SpaceX has three times caught the lower stage, known as Super Heavy, back at Starbase using a giant tower equipped with mechanical arms. But it has never before attempted to fly the upper stage vehicle back to the launch site.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SpaceX, ULA plan rare double rocket launch on Friday the 13th
