SpaceX confirmed a delay of its next Falcon 9 launch on Thursday, saying teams at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station need more time to prepare the rocket and its payloads, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
“Team is taking additional time for pre-launch checkouts ahead of the Transporter-2 mission,” the company said. “Will announce new target launch date once confirmed.”
Recommended Videos
SpaceX did have a backup opportunity on Saturday, but the next window will depend on the intensity of the checkouts and how much time is needed to troubleshoot potential issues. The mission was originally slated for liftoff at 2:56 p.m. Friday.
Had it flown on time, Falcon 9 would have faced 60% “go” conditions at Launch Complex 40 due to the potential for summertime storms. Saturday would have seen a slight upgrade to 70% “go.”
Transporter-2 is SpaceX’s second dedicated rideshare mission. The Transporter series of services allows customers to fly dozens of smaller payloads in one Falcon 9 fairing, splitting launch costs between them. The first flight in January took a record-breaking 143 spacecraft to low-Earth orbit.
The flightpath is unique, too – Falcon 9 will pivot to the south after clearing the lightning towers, hugging Florida’s east coast as it approaches a near-polar trajectory.
After liftoff, the rocket’s 162-foot first stage booster will return to the Cape’s Landing Zone 1, generating what can be startling – but mostly harmless – sonic booms during its autonomous descent.