World News Update: SpaceX set to launch Bandwagon-5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; France arrests suspect in Limoges town hall fire

Launch: Falcon 9 Bandwagon-5 (before liftoff)

Rocket

SpaceX Falcon 9 / Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission

Launch site

Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

Time (CT)

Window opens at 6:04 a.m. CT Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 (7:04 a.m. ET), per SpaceX; Launch Library 2 lists a window running to 6:30 a.m. CT. Backup opportunity: Wednesday, Oct. 21, window opening 6:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. CT).

Result

Not yet launched. Status: Go for Launch (Launch Library 2). We will post an after-liftoff update once SpaceX confirms liftoff and the booster landing.

Cargo

32 payloads including cubesats, microsats and reentry vehicles, per SpaceX. SpaceX's deploy timeline lists customers including ICEYE, Capella Space, Umbra, Planet, Varda Space Industries, Tomorrow.io, Xona Space Systems, Viasat and PlanetiQ, many manifested by Exolaunch.

Booster

19th flight for this first stage (SpaceX; Launch Library 2 identifies it as B1085). Previous missions include Crew-9, RRT-1, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, Fram2, SXM-10, MTG-S1, EchoStar XXV, SXM-11 and 10 Starlink missions. Planned landing on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Our view Another step toward Mars: a booster that once carried astronauts to the space station is flying for the 19th time, and that kind of cheap, routine reuse is what SpaceX is counting on to make trips to Mars affordable.

A live webcast begins about 15 minutes before liftoff on SpaceX's website and on X (@SpaceX).

World news since the 5 PM update

• France: suspect arrested after Limoges' 19th-century city hall is gutted by fire during unrest French media report that a 40-year-old suspect linked to a far-left movement has been arrested after the clock tower and parts of the roof of Limoges' ornate city hall burned and collapsed during mass disorder on Saturday, the BBC reported. FranceInfo said the suspect is classified as an "S" subject, a potential threat to national security. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said more than 120 people have been imprisoned after the nationwide protests over fuel prices and the cost of living, and he asked prosecutors to be "extremely firm." Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has not ruled out a state of emergency. (BBC News)
• Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu a day after Trump backed him Vice President JD Vance declined Monday to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel's Oct. 27 election, a day after President Trump backed him on Truth Social, the Washington Examiner reported. "I endorse American candidates, and that's what I'm focused on, is the midterms. So I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections," Vance said. (Washington Examiner)
• North Korea releases photos of Kim Jong Un after viral death rumors North Korean state media on Monday published photos of Kim Jong Un touring a garment and footwear exhibition with his daughter, after unverified social media rumors over the weekend claimed he had died, the Washington Examiner reported. None of the rumors have been confirmed, and it is unclear when the photos were taken. (Washington Examiner)

Earlier: the 5 PM Evening Update