SpaceX Targets New Falcon 9 Launch After Monday Abort

Cape Canaveral, FL — SpaceX plans to launch a new Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday night after a previous attempt was aborted. The launch is scheduled for 11:19 p.m. EDT (03:19 UTC) from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, aiming to deploy 23 Starlink satellites.

The Falcon 9 booster, designated B1095, was positioned horizontally on Tuesday for repairs after an auto abort halted the countdown at T-minus 2 minutes and 28 seconds the day before. The company did not specify the reason for the abort. In a social media update, SpaceX confirmed that the vehicle and payload were in “good health” and noted they were resetting for the launch attempt.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the rocket was raised back to a vertical position at Space Launch Complex 40. U.S. Space Force meteorologists forecast a 95% chance of good weather for the launch window. The main concern is a slight risk of cumulus cloud violations, which could interfere with the liftoff.

The primary launch opportunity is scheduled for 11:19:10 p.m. EDT, with a backup chance occurring 20 seconds later. If successful, this would mark the fourth new booster brought into service by SpaceX this year, adding to the 18 other active boosters they currently operate.

B1095’s landing will target the SpaceX droneship ‘Just Read the Instructions‘ approximately eight minutes after liftoff. This landing would represent the 121st touchdown for the droneship and the 449th booster landing overall for SpaceX. The payload fairing will carry 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 designed for direct-to-cellphone communications, with deployment planned about an hour and five minutes into the flight.