SpaceX finds break in weather, launches Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on next-day attempt
Targeting "a break in the weather," SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket on the second try Thursday morning as poor offshore weather conditions continued to plague Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's surrounding region.
Initially, SpaceX crews scrubbed the Starlink 8-11 mission Wednesday morning with only a few minutes remaining in the countdown, citing unfavorable booster recovery weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean.
Then Thursday, poor offshore weather prompted SpaceX to postpone the backup launch attempt roughly three hours from its 8:35 a.m. target. Illustrating the bad weather, a waterspout was reported about 7:25 a.m. about four miles offshore from Patrick Space Force Base, said Will Ulrich, warning coordination meteorologist at Melbourne's National Weather Service station.
However, SpaceX officials provided launch spectators a positive update by 10:59 a.m.: "Propellant load on Falcon 9 has started as we target a break in the weather for today’s launch of 21 @Starlink satellites from pad 40 in Florida."
And the Falcon 9 took flight at 11:33 a.m. The rocket deployed its payload of broadband satellites — 13 boasting direct-to-cell communication capabilities — into low-Earth orbit.
Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule from Florida
Meanwhile, visible in the foreground from NASA's Kennedy Space Center press site, the agency's mighty Pegasus barge arrived Thursday morning at the Turning Basin near the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. The 310-foot-long barge reached the bulkhead about 10:30 a.m.
On board: key space flight hardware components for the Artemis II, III and IV moon missions. That includes the cone-shaped Artemis II launch vehicle stage adapter, which rolled out of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on Aug. 21 into the barge for transport to KSC.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has yet to announce the next Polaris Dawn launch attempt from pad 39A at KSC. Poor oceanic splashdown weather for the crew's Dragon capsule appears to be the primary culprit.
Navigational warnings issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard indicate the next Polaris Dawn launch window extends from 3:33-7:38 a.m. Saturday. However, mission commander Jared Isaacman cautioned that these windows do not necessarily correlate to a liftoff try.
"People jump on NOTAM's that are filed, but really that is about preserving the option should the weather cooperate," Isaacman said in a Tuesday night tweet, referring to FAA Notices to Airmen.
After a five-day orbital mission, the Polaris Dawn Dragon will target splashdown at one of seven sites off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX finds break in weather, launches rocket Thursday on Starlink mission
