SpaceX Reschedules Falcon 9 Rocket Launch After Aborting Seconds Before Lift Off

SpaceX has rescheduled the launch of two satellites by the Falcon 9 rocket to 5:12 PM EDT, Tuesday, July 22. The SES O3b mPOWER mission was supposed to launch into Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at 5:27 PM EDT on Monday, July 21 (yesterday).

The private aerospace company aborted the mission just 11 seconds before liftoff. There was first an hour-and-a-half extension before it was called off for the day. The company announced the stand down and reschedule on X, stating that the "vehicle and payload remain healthy." It did not mention a reason for rescheduling the liftoff, but a pre-launch forecast had mentioned on Sunday that there was a possibility of unfavorable weather during the two-hour launch window.

SpaceX now plans to open the two-hour launch window by 5:12 PM today (Tuesday, July 22). The livestream will begin 15 minutes before the liftoff, and you can watch it live on the company's official website or X account (@SpaceX).

Here's the plan: the Falcon 9 rocket with tail number B1090 will lift off from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Florida Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, it will land on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship, marking the 129th landing on that rocket recovery ship.


This mission will launch the 9th and 10th O3b mPOWER satellites into medium Earth orbit (MEO), 8,000km above Earth's surface. O3b mPOWER is a broadband service offered by SES, a global satellite operator based in Luxembourg. The goal is to deliver high-speed and reliable connectivity in places where normal connections aren't usually available, like airplanes, cruise ships, and military bases. There are already eight satellites in MEO, and there was a previous announcement about launching the 11th one, although there's no given date yet.