SDA Satellite Launch Delayed a Third Time, Now Targeted for Saturday
SpaceX's Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg, carrying 21 Space Development Agency satellites, is now aimed at a window between 12:29 and 12:51 a.m. PT Saturday. The company has not explained the delays.
SpaceX's mission to launch 21 Space Development Agency satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base has been delayed a third time and is now targeting a launch window between 12:29 and 12:51 a.m. PT Saturday, Oct. 10, according to launch alerts reported by USA Today network outlets.
Updates posted by the Palm Springs Desert Sun and the Ventura County Star said the mission had been scrubbed for a third time in a row. SpaceX has not publicly explained any of the delays, both outlets reported, and space-industry outlet Spaceflight Now likewise reported that the company did not provide a reason for the first scrub.
The first attempt, early Monday, Oct. 5, ended in the final minute of the countdown as the rocket shifted into its automated startup sequence, Spaceflight Now reported. The company then waived off a Tuesday, Oct. 6, opportunity as well. A Spaceflight Now update posted Oct. 7 said SpaceX was targeting launch no earlier than Saturday, Oct. 10. An independent launch-tracking site also shows the mission's countdown set for 7:29 a.m. UTC on Oct. 10, which is 12:29 a.m. PT.
The mission, dubbed Tranche 1 Transport Layer A, would be the fourth batch of production satellites SpaceX has delivered for the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a constellation designed to support the U.S. military and its allies with space-based capabilities including missile tracking and secure communications.
Less than 7.5 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX plans to land the Falcon 9 first stage at Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg, Spaceflight Now reported. Residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties are the most likely to hear sonic booms as the booster returns through the atmosphere, the Desert Sun reported.
SpaceX provides a live webcast of its missions on the company website beginning about 10 minutes before liftoff, and posts updates on social media site X.
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