SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch with secret 'Zuma' mission moved to Friday night

Florida Today

On Dec. 15, 2017, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched International Space Station supplies from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Another Falcon 9 rocket is targeting an 8 p.m. Friday liftoff with a classified U.S. government mission.

SpaceX is now targeting a chilly Friday evening for the New Year's first rocket launch from the Space Coast.

A Falcon 9 rocket is targeting an 8 p.m. liftoff with the U.S. government's classified Zuma mission from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, at the opening of a two-hour window.

The launch had been planned Thursday evening. No reason was given immediately on Tuesday for the one-day delay, to a mission that was once planned for last November.

SpaceX then postponed the launch to review a concern about the nose cone that covers satellites during a Falcons climb through the atmosphere.

More:What is SpaceX's secret Zuma mission about?

After resolving that concern, SpaceX on Dec. 22 successfully launched another satellite mission from California.

Little is known about the Zuma mission, which Northrop Grumman contracted on the government's behalf. A satellite is expected to launch on a northeasterly trajectory into low Earth orbit.

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After near-freezing temperatures at the pad Friday morning, the weather at launch time is expected to warm up to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 90 percent chance of weather meeting launch rules. There's a slight chance thick clouds moving through the area could pose a problem.

Minutes after liftoff, SpaceX will attempt to land the rocket's first-stage booster on a pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for the ninth time.

Rocket landings at the Cape produce loud sonic booms that may startle uninformed residents and visitors.

Separately, United Launch Alliance is closing in on its first mission of the year. An Atlas V rocket is being readied for a Jan. 18 launch of a U.S. missile warning satellite.

Contact Dean at 321-242-3668 or jdean@floridatoday.com. And follow on Twitter at @flatoday_jdean and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FlameTrench.