SPACE

SpaceX forced to scrub Starlink launch, setting stage for 24-hour turnaround

Emre Kelly
Florida Today

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Update (March 2): SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than 5:42 a.m. Thursday, March 4, for this launch. See our full launch schedule here for further updates.

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Update (March 1): SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than 7:53 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 2, for this launch.

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Unspecified technical issues forced SpaceX to scrub a Falcon 9 rocket launch Sunday evening, setting up teams for a 24-hour turnaround at Kennedy Space Center.

With just over a minute left in the countdown, launch engineers reported an abort sequence had begun ahead of the 8:37 p.m. liftoff with 60 Starlink internet satellites. Starlink missions include instantaneous windows, meaning the rocket must launch on time or delay to another day.

The next attempt to fly from pad 39A is currently set for no earlier than 8:15 p.m. Monday. Weather for that window is expected to be roughly 70% "go."

The Falcon 9 selected for this mission – SpaceX's 20th for the Starlink constellation – has previously flown eight missions. After a liftoff toward the northeast, the 162-foot booster will target a landing on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

If successful, the flight will boost the network's size to more than 1,100 functioning satellites in low-Earth orbit. So far, SpaceX has opened up beta testing opportunities for members of the public located in higher latitudes like the Pacific Northwest, but that access is expected to expand south soon. 

Starlink is currently being targeted toward people who live in remote areas without substantial ground infrastructure. It's also in use by emergency workers responding to wildfires, for example, and military branches like the Air Force.

Cost for the service, which offers speeds roughly equivalent to entry-level options on the Space Coast, runs $99 a month after $499 in equipment fees.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket remains on pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center Sunday, February 28, 2021. Launch of the rocket is carrying 60 Starlink communications satellites was aborted with just over a minute left in the countdown.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly. Support space journalism by subscribing at floridatoday.com/specialoffer/.

Launch Monday, March 1

  • Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
  • Mission: 20th batch of Starlink internet satellites
  • Launch Time: 8:15 p.m.
  • Launch Pad: 39A at Kennedy Space Center
  • Trajectory: Northeast
  • Landing: Of Course I Still Love You drone ship
  • Weather: 70% "go"

Visit floridatoday.com/space at 7 p.m. Monday for live video and updates ahead of launch.