CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX postponed the upcoming launch of a South Korean military satellite on Monday (July 13) due to hardware issues with the Falcon 9 rocket.
The California-based rocket maker planned to launch South Korea’s first military satellite, called Anasis 2, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Tuesday night (July 14). ). The Falcon 9 was scheduled to take off during a 4-hour window that opened at 5 pm EDT (2100 GMT).
However, on Monday afternoon, the company tweeted that it would postpone launch to carry out controls on the rocket’s second stage and potentially change the hardware. A new launch date and time has yet to be confirmed with Eastern Range, which oversees all launches along the east coast.
Related: SpaceX Launches Advanced GPS Satellite for the US Space Force, Launches Rockets
Since tomorrow’s ANASIS-II release to take a closer look at the second stage, change hardware if necessary. Will announce new target launch date once confirmed in Range July 13, 2020
We are being extra paranoid. Maximizing [the] The probability of a successful launch is paramount.
Elon musk
“Since the launch of Anasis-II tomorrow to take a closer look at the second stage, change the hardware if necessary. It will announce a new launch date once confirmed in the Range,” the company wrote on Twitter.
The SpaceX test fired the first stage of the Falcon over the weekend as part of a routine static litmus test. Everything seemed to be going well, and shortly after the test was complete, the company announced its launch plans via Twitter.
The test occurred a few hours after SpaceX postponed the launch of a different Falcon 9 rocket. That amplifier was ready to launch a stack of 57 Starlink Internet satellites along with two BlackSky Global Earth-imaging satellites. Scheduled to take off from the company’s other Florida launch site, Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX canceled that launch Saturday morning citing the need for more rocket controls.
The upcoming Anasis-II mission is starring a veteran Falcon 9, who previously led two NASA astronauts to orbit on May 30 for the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. Embellished with NASA’s retro worm logo, that booster brought Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station less than 50 days ago. Its launch marks another record for SpaceX: the fastest response time so far between launches.
If the Falcon 9 rocket had been able to take off Tuesday, that would have marked 45 days since the reinforcement returned to land. To date, SpaceX’s fastest response time has been 62 days.
SpaceX has achieved many milestones in its quest for reuse, but it seems to have hit a hurdle lately with a series of launch delays. On its other Florida-based launch pad, SpaceX has been trying to take off the Starlink 9 mission.
The launch of 57 Starlink Internet satellites and two BlackSky Global Earth-Imaging satellites was originally scheduled for June 26, however, a series of weather and hardware-related delays has forced SpaceX to put that flight on hold. The rocket featured on that mission will be the company’s third reinforcement to fly five times.
Unfortunately, SpaceX has had to wait at launch to pay for the vehicle on two separate occasions. We will likely see it take off after the launch of the Anasis 2 mission.
SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk tweeted that the company was being cautious. “We are being extra paranoid. Maximizing [the] the probability of a successful launch is paramount, “he said.
We are being extra paranoid. Maximizing the probability of a successful launch is paramount. July 13, 2020
Built by Airbus Defense and Space, the Anasis 2 satellite is the first satellite to be launched for the South Korean government and will provide secure communications for the country’s military.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
