ORLANDO: SpaceX scrubbed Friday’s plan to launch additional Starlink satellites in a mission that had another paying customer on board, what SpaceX calls its ride-share program. The change in plans was not weather-related.
“Standing down from today’s Starlink mission; team needed additional time for pre-launch checkouts, but Falcon 9 and the satellites are healthy. Will announce new target launch date once confirmed on the Range,” SpaceX said in a tweet.
A Falcon 9 rocket was set to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying 57 Starlink communications satellites for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, along with two small Earth observation satellites for Seattle-based BlackSky Global.
SpaceX also postponed the launch Thursday, but didn’t give a reason. Eventually, SpaceX aims to launch thousands of Starlink satellites.
Launching Starlink regularly means SpaceX can take other paying customers, such as BlackSky, along for the ride — and for revenue. SpaceX launched three small imaging satellites for San Francisco-based Planet, formerly Planet Labs, earlier this month.
