Four scrubs in a row! SpaceX halts Amazon satellite launch try again, citing bad weather
Original story: SpaceX stood down from Thursday's Falcon 9 rocket liftoff try "to perform additional vehicle checkouts." Friday's attempt also got postponed. And then, Saturday's attempt washed out amid rainfall.
Will SpaceX crews finally launch Amazon's batch of 24 Project Kuiper satellites this morning after back-to-back-to-back unsuccessful attempts at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station?
Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of today's SpaceX KF-02 mission. SpaceX is now targeting 9:13 a.m. to send up the Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 40.
But yet again, the forecast looks iffy. The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron predicted 55% odds of "go for launch" weather, citing cumulus clouds, anvil clouds and lightning.
No Brevard County sonic booms should occur. After soaring skyward along a northeasterly trajectory, the rocket's first-stage booster will target landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship out at sea about eight minutes after liftoff.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming NASA, SpaceX, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
Countdown Timer
SpaceX: Blame scrub on poor booster recovery weather
Update 9:31 a.m.: In a tweet, SpaceX officials announced bad weather near the drone ship triggered today's scrub. National Weather Service Radar shows large offshore storms ranging from the Cape northward past Georgia to North Carolina.
"Due to unfavorable recovery weather conditions, Falcon 9's launch of the KF-02 mission is now targeted for tomorrow, August 11. Vehicle and payload remain healthy," the tweet said.
The new 27-minute launch window will open at 8:35 a.m. Monday.
SpaceX's next launch window opens at 8:35 a.m. Monday
Update 9:19 a.m.: During the launch webcast, SpaceX announced the KF-02 mission's next launch window opens at 8:35 a.m. Monday.
Yet another scrub!
Update 9:13 a.m.: Scrub! SpaceX crews just halted the countdown at the 30-second mark, citing weather.
SpaceX rocket launch coming up
Update 9:08 a.m.: Seven minutes before SpaceX's Falcon 9 lifts off, the countdown appears to be proceeding as planned.
Following is a list of key remaining countdown milestones. T-minus:
7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch.
1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks; propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.
45 seconds: SpaceX launch director verifies 'go for launch.'
3 seconds: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start.
0 seconds: Falcon 9 liftoff.
SpaceX rocket launch webcast kicks off
Update 9 a.m.: SpaceX's launch webcast is now posted above, right below our countdown clock.
Liftoff is scheduled in 13 minutes from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX rocket booster to land on drone ship
Update 8:50 a.m.: This morning's mission will mark the Falcon 9 first-stage booster's maiden flight, SpaceX reported.
Following stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes, 13 seconds after liftoff.
SpaceX rocket fueling is now underway
Update 8:41 a.m.: Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at Launch Complex 40, billowing water vapor indicates.
That means the Project Kuiper mission countdown is locked in to lift off at 9:13 a.m. without any delays, or else today's launch must be postponed to a later date.
Amazon video explains Project Kuiper constellation
Update 8:30 a.m.: This Project Kuiper promotional video explains how the future satellite constellation will come together.
SpaceX now targeting 9:13 a.m. liftoff
Update 8:22 a.m.: SpaceX has pushed back the target liftoff time by 16 minutes, to 9:13 a.m.
Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell remembered on Space Coast
Update 8:15 a.m.: Tributes continue coming in for Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell, who died Thursday. He commanded the Apollo 13 moon mission in April 1970.
"Astronaut Jim Lovell has died at age 97. He was a pioneer," former NASA administrator Bill Nelson, who grew up in Brevard County, said in a tweet.
"Gemini, Apollo 8 the first flight to the Moon, then a miracle of safe return of Apollo 13 after an explosion in flight. Jim was one of the best and a gentleman and devoted husband. Godspeed Jim."
SpaceX launch to be 67th of year from Space Coast
Update 8:05 a.m.: SpaceX's upcoming Falcon 9 launch will clock in as the 67th orbital rocket launch thus far during 2025 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
For comparison's sake, the Cape's all-time annual launch records clocked in at 57 liftoffs in 2022 and 72 liftoffs in 2023. The current record of 93 launches in a single year was established in 2024.
Click here for the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team's updating tally listing all of this year's missions, complete with photo galleries and story links.
SpaceX launch prep underway in Brevard
Update 7:53 a.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency's launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX's upcoming Falcon 9 launch.
Amazon's Project Kuiper to reach 102 satellites
Update 7:42 a.m.: Today's mission — the second Kuiper launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket — will up the total number of Kuiper spacecraft deployed to 102 satellites.
Plans call for Amazon's initial constellation in low-Earth orbit to eventually exceed 3,200 spacecraft.
After SpaceX deploys today's batch of 24 satellites at an altitude of 289 miles above Earth, Project Kuiper technicians will contact the satellites and complete activation and health checks. Then the satellites will ascend to their assigned altitude of 392 miles, a Project Kuiper blog post said.
Space Force launch forecast details
Update 7:26 a.m.: Narrative details from the 45th Weather Squadron's launch forecast:
"A stationary boundary remains draped across north-central Florida, maintaining deep atmospheric moisture across the Space Coast," the forecast said.
"Strengthening southerly flow will help keep early morning convection mainly offshore. However, scattered showers or storms cannot be ruled out," the forecast said.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Four scrubs in a row! SpaceX's Amazon launch try halted again in Florida
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Tyrant
6 minutes ago
- Geek Tyrant
Alan Tudyk Says He Was Cut From I, ROBOT Marketing After Testing Better Than Will Smith in Test Screenings — GeekTyrant
Alan Tudyk just revealed a wild behind the scenes story from his time on the 2004 sci-fi blockbuster I, Robot , and it explains why so many people still don't know he was in it. Appearing on the Toon'd In with Jim Cummings podcast, Tudyk said he was dropped from the film's marketing campaign after test screenings showed he was scoring higher with audiences than the movie's leading man, Will Smith. Tudyk brought the robot Sonny to life through motion capture and voice work, but after the studio saw the test results, he claims they decided to make his involvement… vanish. 'A lot of people did not know I did Sonny the Robot in I, Robot , and there is a reason. They were doing test audiences for the movie, and they score the characters in this kind of test screening. 'I got word back: 'Alan, you are testing higher than Will Smith.' And then I was gone. I was done. There was no publicity, and my name was not mentioned.' The actor admitted the move blindsided him. 'I was so shocked. I was like, 'Wait, nobody is going to know I'm in it!' I put a lot into [that performance]. I had to move like a robot. At the time, I was very upset.' He totally has a right to be upset over that! What a crappy thing for the studio to do to an actor! I, Robot was directed by Alex Proyasand is set in 2035, it follows Smith's Chicago detective investigating the suspicious death of a robotics company founder. While society's highly intelligent robots are meant to serve humanity, Smith's character suspects one of them, Sonny, of murder. The cast also featured Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, and Chi McBride. Back in 2004, motion capture was still a relatively fresh tool in Hollywood. Aside from characters like Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars and Gollum in The Lord of the Rings , audiences hadn't seen much of it. Tudyk's work as Sonny helped push that technology forward, and he later became a fan favorite as the sarcastic droid K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and its Disney+ prequel series Andor . It's been over 20 years since I, Robot hit theaters, but for many fans, this might be the first time they're realizing Sonny's soul came from Alan Tudyk. Turns out, the reason they didn't know… was by design. I mean, you can't have Tudyk being better than Will Smith! Sheesh. That movie would've been so much better without Smith.
Bloomberg
7 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Fertility Startup Gameto Raises $44 Million to Test Egg-Freezing Therapy in US
Gameto Inc., a biotech company working on stem-cell therapies for women's health, has raised $44 million in venture capital to help fund a clinical trial for its product that aims to improve the egg-freezing experience. The funding round, led by Overwater Ventures, will let Gameto bring its Fertilo therapy closer to US Food and Drug Administration approval. The technique, which uses stem cells that have been engineered into ovarian support cells, is intended to free patients from the grueling two weeks of injections that prompt ovaries to make enough eggs during fertility treatment. In a Phase 3 trial, patients are only given three days of injections, after which their eggs are extracted and matured by the engineered cells.
CBS News
7 minutes ago
- CBS News
Isolated strong storms possible in Southeast Michigan Tuesday afternoon and evening
A new storm system will bring a chance for some stronger storms to Southeast Michigan. There is a marginal (one out of five) risk of strong to severe storms in Southeast Michigan for the Tuesday afternoon and evening commute. The main threats will be isolated and not widespread from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Tuesday. There is an isolated chance for strong wind gusts at 50 to 60 miles per hour, as well as some heavy downpours that could lead to localized flooding. A new front will move in and bring some storms ahead of it, into Tuesday night. Behind the front, temperatures will go from near 90 degrees to the low 80s. The average high temperature in Detroit is 82 degrees. Feels like temperatures will go from the mid- to upper 90s back closer to the actual temperatures.
