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SpaceX has rescheduled the launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets to transport a group of Starlink satellites into a low-Earth orbit.
The 45th Space Wing approved the launches for SpaceX’s Starlink L-18 and L-17 missions on Wednesday, which were originally scheduled to launch at about 1:19 and 5:36 a.m. Eastern time, respectively, on Thursday, respectively. .
FAA FOR INVESTIGATED INVESTIGATION INTO SPACEX STARSHIP SN9 TEST FLIGHT EXPLOSION
Starlink L-18 will still be lifted from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Launch Complex 40 at 01:19 eastern time, as originally scheduled. The 45th Weather Squaudron said there is a 90 percent chance of favorable launch weather.
However, SpaceX announced on Wednesday that it is rescheduling the launch of Starlink 17 from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A from 5:36 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday to 5:14 a.m. Eastern time to allow for additional checks prior to launch. The 45th Weather Squadron said there is a 30 percent chance of violating the weather restrictions.
The launches would have been the first time since 1966 that two rockets were lifted from the Eastern Track on the same day following previous missions by Gemini 12 and Atlas Agena, which were 99 minutes apart.
Together, the missions will transport hundreds of Starlink satellites, as part of an ongoing effort to create a spatial broadband network that will be available worldwide. Other airlines that are developing their own space-based broadband networks include Blue Bezos, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.
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The launch comes just a day after SpaceX’s Starship SN9 prototype crash landed during a fiery test flight on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration told FOX Business that it would oversee an investigation into the crash to “identify the cause of the current crash and possible opportunities to further improve safety as the program evolves”. Reportedly, the successor to the SN9, the SN10 Starship, is almost complete.
SpaceX also has plans for space tourism partnerships with Space Adventures in 2021 and Axiom Space in 2022, as well as Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, the founder and CEO of online fashion retailer Zozo, for a private mission to the Moon in 2023.
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