SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying 22 starlink satellites suffered a rare last-second abort during the attempted launch from Florida on Friday afternoon (June 14). The booster named Falcon 9 B1073-16 has flown 15 times before, aborted its liftoff while igniting its nine first-stage engines at 5:07 p.m. EDT (2107 GMT) atop the Space Launch Complex 40 pad of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This was the third attempt to launch this rocket after subsequent abort on 12th and 13th of June.
Image credit: SpaceX
"Abort, we have an abort," a SpaceX launch commentator said during the routine launch livestream on X (formerly Twitter).
It is unclear what caused the rare abort for a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, or when the company will attempt to launch its Starlink satellite mission again. Today's launch attempt had a four-hour window and a similar window is available on Saturday (June 15) starting at 4:07 p.m. EDT (2007 GMT).
image Credit: John Howard for SpaceX Frontpage
The Starlink 10-2 mission, aimed at bolstering the ever-growing constellation of internet satellites, was initially scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. However, the mission encountered consecutive postponements, a stark reminder of the complexities inherent in spaceflight.
The first delay came as thick cloud cover and showers shrouded the Cape, prompting a cautious stand-down. The following day, despite multiple adjustments to the launch time, the mission was scrubbed mere minutes before liftoff due to unfavorable weather conditions, including anvil clouds, cumulus clouds, and surface electric fields that posed a risk to the launch integrity.
Weather plays a crucial role in launch operations, and the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron's forecast only pegged the odds of favorable weather at 25% throughout the launch window on the second attempt.
The Falcon 9 rocket, poised to deploy a batch of 22 Starlink internet satellites, stood ready on the launch pad, a testament to SpaceX's engineering prowess. The rocket's first-stage booster, a veteran of multiple missions, was set to make its 16th flight, demonstrating the company's dedication to reusability.
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