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SpaceX has been forced to clean up a potentially record launch of its latest batch of Starlink satellites.
Sunday’s mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida would have been the seventh launch of the same Falcon 9 rocket, a record for a reusable booster.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk has already said the Falcon 9 rocket could be used up to 10 times before requiring a significant refurbishment. They could eventually fly up to 100 times if undergoing periodic reviews.
There may be another chance to attempt the record-breaking mission on Monday, although it will depend on favorable weather conditions at the launch site and across the Atlantic Ocean.
“Forgoing the launch of Starlink today,” the company said in a statement.
“The rocket and payload are healthy; the teams will take longer to complete the data reviews and are now working on the backup opportunity on Monday November 23 at 9:34 pm, but keeping an eye on the weather for recovery. “
The failed launch attempt came just one day after a successful launch of Falcon 9 that brought a Sentinel-6 ocean mapping satellite into orbit for NASA and the European Space Agency.
If successful on Monday, SpaceX’s Starlink launch will mark the 100th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket.
The sixteenth Starlink mission hopes to deliver another 60 satellites into low Earth orbit as part of SpaceX’s plan to build a massive constellation capable of transmitting high-speed Internet to Earth.
More than 800 Starlink satellites are already in operation and are currently used on a limited scale in the northern parts of the United States and Canada.
Mr. Musk said earlier this month that people in more southern latitudes may expect to receive Starlink coverage in January, while those outside of North America will have to wait until SpaceX receives regulatory approval.
Starlink’s website says it hopes to offer space-based broadband to 99% of the inhabited world.
“With performance far exceeding that of traditional satellite internet and a limitless global network of ground infrastructure, Starlink will deliver high-speed broadband internet in places where access has been unreliable, expensive or completely unavailable. “.
The project was criticized by the astronomical community after satellite trains disrupted observations.
An August report from the Satellite Constellations 1 (Satcon1) seminar warned that the network could prove “hugely impactful” to both radio and optical astronomy and could even limit scientific progress.
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