SpaceX has rescheduled the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket to Thursday, November 28, following a technical glitch.
Reportedly, SpaceX canceled the launch of the Falcon 9 minutes before its scheduled takeoff on Monday, November 25, from Cape Canaveral. SpaceX, the private spaceflight company, is now preparing for a launch on Thursday.
SpaceX posted the rescheduled date and time on Twitter, but did not elaborate on te technical glitch that "scrubbed" the launch.
"Scrubbed for today, Falcon 9's next launch attempt targeting Thursday 5:38pm EST," read SpaceX's tweet. The launch can be watched live here.
Reportedly, officials scrubbed the launch after Falcon 9 missed the 66-minute window, owing to delays, as well as the glitch. Apparently, three attempts were made to get the Falcon 9 off the ground in the time window; however, on each attempt controllers were prevented by a glitch.
The final hold was reportedly ordered owing to unexpected readings with the first-stage liquid oxygen system.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 was attempting to put a 3.1 tonne TV satellite in orbit for SES, the Luxembourg-based operator. Previously, all flights of SpaceX's falcon rockets have gone to low-Earth orbits.
The SES-8 satellite is worth $100 million and will be positioned to provide TV, cable, broadband and other services to customers in China, India, Vietnam, as well as other Asian countries.
The SES mission is an important step for Space X. The mission will see the rocket lug a spacecraft several thousand miles above the Earth.
If successful, the Falcon 9 will carry the commercial satellite into space, which will be a major feat in a industry that is worth nearly $190 billion per year. SpaceX is looking to capture a major chunk of the market to launch these satellites. Currently, the market is dominated by European and Russian rockets.
