SpaceX aborts launch of advanced GPS satellite for the US Space Force
SpaceX aborted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying an upgraded Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) for the U.S. Space Force on Friday (Oct. 2).
Launch controllers called off the launch about two seconds before the company's
Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket was scheduled to launch the next-generation
GPS III SV04 satellite into orbit at 9:43 p.m. EDT (0143 GMT on Oct. 3).
The next launch opportunity for this mission is on Saturday at 9:39 p.m. EDT (0139 GMT on Oct. 4), SpaceX principal integration engineer John Insprucker said during a launch commentary.
At the time of the abort, it was not clear if SpaceX aborted the launch due to an issue with the rocket or the ground support systems, Insprucker said. Whether SpaceX will be able to try the launch again on Saturday evening will depend on how long it takes the company to identify and solve the problem that led to the abort, he added.....
Friday's launch abort was the second in two days for SpaceX.
A different Falcon 9 rocket suffered a launch abort on Thursday while attempting to launch 60 new Starlink internet satellites from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral near the Air Force station. SpaceX has not officially announced a new launch date for that mission......