SpaceX Falcon 9 grounded by weather (UPDATED)
06/21/2014 11:27 PM Filed in: Space News | Commercial Space
Editor's note...
CBS News
Running a day late because of a technical glitch, bad weather Saturday forced SpaceX to call off a second attempt to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on a commercial mission to deploy six ORBCOMM data relay satellites. SpaceX provided no details about the scrub or when they might make another launch attempt, but ORBCOMM said late Saturday the team was gearing up for a third try Sunday afternoon.
A launch attempt Friday was called off due to concern about an apparent second stage propellant pressurization issue. The company said during a webcast that it was not immediately clear whether the issue was a real problem with the rocket, faulty instrumentation or trouble with ground equipment.
SpaceX never updated the company’s website with any additional information and it’s not yet clear what, if anything, was actually wrong or what, if anything, was required to fix it. The SpaceX web page was updated with a single posting Saturday afternoon confirming a second launch try was targeted for 5:46 p.m.
But the weather was an issue throughout the launch window and the 45th Space Wing at nearby Patrick Air Force Base tweeted at one point that launch had slipped to 6:39 p.m., the end of the available 53-minute window.
SpaceX did not provide a webcast for the second launch attempt, no company officials were apparent where reporters were gathered at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and no official information on the progress of the countdown was provided until after the Air Force confirmed the scrub.
A few minutes after that, the SpaceX website was updated to say “today's ORBCOMM launch attempt has been scrubbed due to weather. Currently reviewing next available launch opportunities.”
Late Sunday, ORBCOMM posted an update on its website saying "both Falcon 9 and ORBCOMM satellites are safe. We are targeting launch for tomorrow, Sunday, June 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET. We will continue to post updates as we get closer to launch."
The launch window is believed to open at 5:24 p.m., but SpaceX provided no immediate clarification or even confirmation that a third launch try was on tap Sunday.
- Posted at 06:42 PM ET, 06/21/14: SpaceX launch called off due to weather
- Updated at 11:15 PM ET, 06/21/14: ORBCOMM says third launch try on tap Sunday
CBS News
Running a day late because of a technical glitch, bad weather Saturday forced SpaceX to call off a second attempt to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on a commercial mission to deploy six ORBCOMM data relay satellites. SpaceX provided no details about the scrub or when they might make another launch attempt, but ORBCOMM said late Saturday the team was gearing up for a third try Sunday afternoon.
A launch attempt Friday was called off due to concern about an apparent second stage propellant pressurization issue. The company said during a webcast that it was not immediately clear whether the issue was a real problem with the rocket, faulty instrumentation or trouble with ground equipment.
SpaceX never updated the company’s website with any additional information and it’s not yet clear what, if anything, was actually wrong or what, if anything, was required to fix it. The SpaceX web page was updated with a single posting Saturday afternoon confirming a second launch try was targeted for 5:46 p.m.
But the weather was an issue throughout the launch window and the 45th Space Wing at nearby Patrick Air Force Base tweeted at one point that launch had slipped to 6:39 p.m., the end of the available 53-minute window.
SpaceX did not provide a webcast for the second launch attempt, no company officials were apparent where reporters were gathered at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and no official information on the progress of the countdown was provided until after the Air Force confirmed the scrub.
A few minutes after that, the SpaceX website was updated to say “today's ORBCOMM launch attempt has been scrubbed due to weather. Currently reviewing next available launch opportunities.”
Late Sunday, ORBCOMM posted an update on its website saying "both Falcon 9 and ORBCOMM satellites are safe. We are targeting launch for tomorrow, Sunday, June 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET. We will continue to post updates as we get closer to launch."
The launch window is believed to open at 5:24 p.m., but SpaceX provided no immediate clarification or even confirmation that a third launch try was on tap Sunday.