SpaceX called off its attempt to launch 30 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, pushing the mission to Thursday. The Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 but faced delays due to unfavorable weather conditions. The next launch window opens at 5:43 a.m. ET Thursday, with an 85% chance of favorable conditions according to the 45th Weather Squadron. Cumulus clouds remain the primary concern for the mission.
The original launch window for Wednesday began at 4:02 a.m. ET and was set to close at 8:02 a.m. ET. Earlier in the day, liftoff was initially planned for 6:11 a.m. ET before being pushed to 6:45 a.m. ET. Weather forecasts for Wednesday had only a 30% chance of success, with thick cloud layers and surface electric fields also listed as potential issues. SpaceX did not specify the exact reason for scrubbing the launch but confirmed that weather played a role.
This will be the 12th flight for the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, B1090. The booster has previously supported multiple missions, including crewed flights for NASA’s Crew-10 mission and commercial resupply missions. After stage separation, the booster will land on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, marking another milestone in the rocket’s reuse history.
The Starlink 10-43 mission aims to deploy 29 satellites as part of SpaceX’s global broadband network. The company has not yet disclosed details about the specific functions of this batch of satellites. Launches from Cape Canaveral have become a regular occurrence, with SpaceX conducting over a dozen missions in recent years. The next attempt will be the first opportunity to see the mission proceed after the weather-related delay.