Weather is excellent for SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Update: SpaceX successfully launches its Falcon 9 rocket at 7:10 p.m. Monday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40. 

As promised, December is gearing up to be a busy month for rockets launching from the Space Coast.

Starting next week, there's not only supposed to be one launch, but two and it all kicks off Monday with SpaceX sending its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40 to space. 

The aerospace company will launch the JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 commercial communications satellite no earlier than 7:10 p.m. The launch window remains open until 8:38 p.m. 

The Boeing-built satellite will provide internet coverage for Asia and the Pacific. 

Approximately eight minutes after liftoff, the rocket's first stage booster will target an automatic drone ship landing. 

Weather is currently 90% "go" for Monday's launch as calculated by the U.S. Air Force with the primary weather concerns being "cumulus clouds associated with the showers moving onshore," according to the 45th Weather Squadron. 

 If the launch is pushed to another day, weather drops to 60% "go" for a Tuesday launch.

The primary weather concerns if the launch gets pushed are "cumulus clouds and disturbed weather," according to the 45th Weather Squadron.

Following this launch, Boeing is set to send its Starliner capsule atop United Launch Alliance' Atlas V rocket no earlier than 6:36 a.m. Dec. 20, from Launch Complex 41. 

This will be the uncrewed orbital flight test as the company gets ready to send astronauts to space once again from U.S. soil. Upon success of the mission, the next step would be to send a crewed flight sometime next year. 

SpaceX meanwhile already conducted the uncrewed flight test of its Crew Dragon capsule back in March and is now targetting the "in-flight abort test" no earlier than Jan. 4. 

Contact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668 or antoniaj@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AntoniaJ_11.

Launch Monday

• Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
• Mission: JCSAT-18 / Kacific-1
• Launch Time: 7:10 p.m.
• Launch Window: until 8:38 p.m.
• Location: 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station:
• Landing: Yes, drone ship landing
• Weather: 90% "go"

Join floridatoday.com/space at 6 p.m. Monday for countdown chat and updates including streaming of SpaceX's launch webcast.