Thales Alenia Space expects to get the first contact from the satellite in about 30 minutes to verify its status following launch.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirms a good deployment of the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.

"Rocket launch good, satellite in geo transfer orbit," he tweeted. "Still so damn intense. Looking fwd to it feeling normal one day."

We are waiting on official confirmation of a successful deployment of the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat spacecraft.

If everything is going according to plan, the Falcon 9 upper stage should be preparing to restart its Merlin engine around 7:29 p.m. EDT (2329 GMT). Separation of the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite comes at 7:35 p.m. EDT (2335 GMT).

Keeping with SpaceX's common practice, the company has chosen to end its webcast before the final crucial maneuvers to deploy the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite.

The second stage's Merlin 1D engine will ignite for about one minute at around T+plus 26 minutes, leading to deployment of the spacecraft at T+plus 32 minutes, 15 seconds.

The rocket is targeting an injection orbit with a high point of 36,600 kilometers, a low point of 180 kilometers and an inclination of 25.5 degrees, according to Thales Alenia Space, the European manufacturer of the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite.

T+plus 9 minutes. The Falcon 9's upper stage has shut down after completing the first of two burns required to boost the TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The rocket achieved an on-target orbit with a high point of 208 km, a low point of 175 km and an inclination of 27.7 degrees.

T+plus 8 minutes. The vehicle remains in a nominal trajectory. The terminal guidance phase of the launch will start soon.

T+plus 6 minutes, 30 seconds. The kerosene-fueled Merlin 1D upper stage engine generates about more than 150,000 pounds of thrust in vacuum. Altitude is now 176 km.

T+plus 5 minutes. Everything reported to be going well with this second stage engine firing. The Merlin vacuum engine uses an ultra-thin niobium nozzle extension for greater efficiency in the upper atmosphere.

T+plus 4 minutes. The Falcon 9's payload fairing has been jettisoned.

T+plus 3 minutes. The Falcon 9 first stage engines have cut off, the stages have separated, and the rocket's second stage Merlin vacuum engine has ignited for its nearly seven-minute firing to reach orbital velocity.

T+plus 2 minutes. Now soaring at an altitude of more than 20 miles, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage will shut down and jettison in about one minute.

And chilldown of the second stage's vacuum-rated Merlin 1D engine has started in preparation for its ignition.

T+plus 1 minute. The Falcon 9 rocket is approaching the speed of sound and the phase of maximum aerodynamic pressure.

T+plus 20 seconds. The Falcon 9 rocket's pitch program has initiated to put the 224-foot-tall rocket on an easterly trajectory from Cape Canaveral.

LIFTOFF of the Falcon 9 with Turkmenistan's first satellite!

T-minus 60 seconds. In the final minute of the countdown, the flight computer will command checks of the first stage Merlin engine steering system and the Falcon 9 propellant tanks will be pressurized for flight. Thousands of gallons of water from the 53 water nozzles on ground facility's Niagara system will also be dumped onto the launch pad deck to suppress the sound and acoustics of liftoff.

The command to start the ignition sequence for the first stage will be issued at T-minus 3 seconds, triggering the Merlin engines' ignitor moments before the powerplants actually ramp up to full power.

T-minus 90 seconds and counting. The SpaceX launch director and the Air Force Eastern Range have given their final approvals for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT).

T-minus 2 minutes and counting. The rocket's Merlin 1D engines have been chilled down for ignition.

T-minus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The strongback has been locked in to launch position.

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The rocket's destruct system is on internal power and being armed, and liquid oxygen topping is being terminated.

The strongback has retracted into the launch position about 20 degrees from the rocket.

The second stage thrust vector steering system has checked out and is ready for flight.

T-minus 5 minutes and counting. The cradles connecting the strongback to the Falcon 9 rocket have opened.

T-minus 6 minutes and counting. The Falcon 9 rocket is now operating on internal power.

The strongback umbilical tower will soon be lowered a few degrees to clear the rocket for launch. The procedure begins with opening of cradles gripping the rocket at attach points, then hydraulics lower the tower into launch position.

T-minus 6 minutes, 30 seconds. The Falcon 9's heaters are being deactivated, and the rocket will be transitioned to internal power in a few seconds.

T-minus 7 minutes and counting. Within the next minute, the Falcon 9's flight computer will be commanded to its alignment state. The Merlin engine pumps are continuing to chill down.

T-minus 8 minutes and counting. Good chilldown continues on the first stage engines, and closeouts of the upper stage's gaseous nitrogen attitude control system are underway.

T-minus 9 minutes, 30 seconds. Prevalves leading to the Falcon 9's Merlin 1D first stage engines are opening, permitting super-cold liquid oxygen to flow into the engines to condition the turbopumps for ignition.

T-minus 10 minutes and counting. The terminal countdown autosequence has started. Any hold after this point will result in an automatic abort and recycle to T-minus 13 minutes.

And the thick cloud rule is now observed "go" for launch, so all parameters are green for liftoff at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT).

T-minus 12 minutes and counting. The launch team has verified all technical consoles are go for liftoff at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT), but the weather is currently "no go." Officials expect conditions could be "go" in time for liftoff.

The terminal countdown autosequence is about to begin at the T-minus 10 minute mark.

As the countdown ticks toward a poll of the launch team and weather officer at T-minus 13 minutes, the weather criteria currently shows that the anvil cloud rule is "green" but the thick cloud rule is still "red" for now.

New launch time! SpaceX says more time is needed for clouds to thin and disperse, so 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT) is the new target launch time.

T-minus 17 minutes and counting. The TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat spacecraft is confirmed on internal power and go for launch.

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. SpaceX is targeting launch at 6:53 p.m. EDT (2253 GMT), weather permitting.

T-minus 20 minutes and holding. The countdown continues to pause while SpaceX waits for a potential clearing for launch. Here are some statistics on today's flight:

• 18th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
• 23rd launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
• 17th Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral
• 13th launch of a Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket
• 12th Falcon 9 v1.1 launch from Cape Canaveral
• 1st satellite for Turkmenistan
• 1st launch of a Thales Alenia Space satellite on Falcon 9
• 10th Falcon 9 day launch
• 5th Falcon 9 launch of 2015
• 8th launch from Cape Canaveral in 2015

The Air Force weather team is hopeful there could be an opening in the clouds to the west of Cape Canaveral heading for the launch site, but conditions at the moment are still "red" in violation of the thick cloud and cumulus cloud rules.

Weather is still "no go" for launch, so the Falcon 9 countdown has stopped and will be recycled to T-minus 20 minutes and holding in hopes of a clearing in the clouds. The launch window extends until 7:44 p.m. EDT (2344 GMT).

T-minus 17 minutes and counting. The Falcon 9 rocket stands 224 feet tall and measures 12 feet in diameter. At liftoff, its nine Merlin 1D first stage engines will generate about 1.3 million pounds of thrust.

Fully fueled for launch, the Falcon 9 contains about 1.05 million pounds of kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants.

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. The final poll of SpaceX's launch team will begin at T-minus 13 minutes before the countdown enters the final phase.

The TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSat satellite will be switched to internal battery power in a few minutes.