SpaceX will try again Tuesday to launch a brand-new Falcon 9 booster after an abort halted its first attempt. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, with 23 Starlink satellites aboard, is scheduled for 11:19 p.m. EDT (03:19 UTC).
The new booster, with the serial number B1095, was lowered into the horizontal position Tuesday so engineers could work on the issue that caused the countdown clock to stop at T minus two minutes and 28 seconds on Monday. After the launch scrub, SpaceX acknowledged in a social media post that an “auto abort” had occurred but did not disclose why. It said: “Vehicle and payload are in good health, and teams are resetting for a launch attempt no earlier than Tuesday, May 20.”
Spaceflight Now will provide live coverage starting about an hour prior to launch.
The rocket was back in the vertical position at Space Launch Complex 40 late Tuesday afternoon. U.S. Space Force meteorologists forecast a 95 percent chance of favorable weather during Tuesday’s short launch window. The only weather concern is the slight chance of a violation of the cumulus cloud rule. In addition to the primary launch opportunity at 11:19:10 p.m. EDT (0319:10 UTC), there is a backup opportunity 20 seconds later.
The planned launch of B1095 will be the fourth time a new booster has been brought into service by SpaceX this year. The company has 18 other boosters in active duty, though B1072 has only flown once as a Falcon Heavy side booster during the June 2024 launch of the GOES-U weather satellite.
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1095 will target a landing on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions.’ A successful landing will represent the 121st touchdown on this vessel and the 449th booster landing to date.
Inside the rocket’s payload fairing is a batch of 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 that are equipped for direct to cellphone communications. Deployment is scheduled to occur about an hour and five minutes into flight.
