The Falcon 9 seconds after liftoff on Wednesday. Image from video
After two aborted takeoffs, Hawthorne-based SpaceX Wednesday successfully launched a communications satellite into orbit from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch was originally scheduled Sunday, but was delayed due to a computer issue. The company tried again Monday, but the launch was scrubbed with just 10 seconds left on the countdown clock.
SpaceX officials said the Monday launch was canceled “due to a violation of abort criteria,” but said the Falcon 9 rocket and the Intelsat 35e satellite were both in good condition.
Company founder Elon Musk wrote on Twitter Tuesday that crews spent the Fourth of July “doing a full review of rocket & pad systems.”
On Wednesday morning, officials from Intelsat said SpaceX had completed its inspections and the launch is a “go” for Wednesday afternoon.
The Falcon 9 rocket launched at 4:38 p.m. California time, and about 32 minutes later, it deployed the satellite into orbit.
Although SpaceX has been perfecting its system of recovering the first stage of the Falcon 9 rockets — preserving them for re-use in future missions and thereby saving millions of dollars in mission costs — the company did not attempt to recover the rocket used in the Intelsat mission “due to mission requirements.”
— City News Service
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