SpaceX canceled the launch of 23 Starlink broadband internet satellites during the final minute of the countdown on Sunday (August 11).
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the 23rd Starlink spacecraft was scheduled to lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, during a 3.5-hour window that opened at 7:21 a.m. EDT (1121 GMT).
SpaceX pushed the attempt to the end of the time period, then abort the attempt with 46 seconds left in the countdown. The company did not immediately say why it was canceled, but said the attempt was not completed. He said via X The rocket is in good condition and will be ready to launch for another launch attempt on Monday (August 12).
If the Falcon 9 rocket launches on Monday and all goes according to plan, its first stage will return to Earth about eight minutes after launch, landing on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
This will be the 17th launch and landing of this particular booster vehicle, According to SpaceX.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 upper stage will deploy the program’s 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit about 64 minutes after launch.
Related to: Starlink Satellite Train: How to See and Track It in the Night Sky
Sunday’s planned launch was part of a busy weekend for SpaceX. The company launched 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Station, located next to Kennedy Space Center, on Saturday morning (Aug. 10).
Another Falcon 9 rocket will launch tonight from Vandenberg Space Center in California, carrying two satellites into the air. Arctic Satellite Broadband MissionThe ASBM is designed to provide Arctic coverage for the U.S. Space Force and state-owned company Space Norway.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 11:15 a.m. ET on Aug. 11 with news of the launch failure.
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