At liftoff, SpaceX scrubs Starlink launch for 3rd time

Doug Cunningham & Ehren Wynder

June 15, 2024 at 1:48 p.m.·1 min read

SpaceX on Friday aborted a launch of 22 more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Two previous attempts Wednesday and Thursday were scrubbed. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI

June 14 (UPI) -- A SpaceX Starlink satellite launch was cut short Friday just seconds before liftoff.

The company's Falcon 9 booster was set to launch at 5:07 p.m. EDT and carry 22 satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but a live broadcast on X@SpaceX showed the thrusters fizzle out at the last moment.

Ground control aborted the mission and began running a launch report. The broadcast cut off before a cause was determined.

The next available launch opportunity was 4:07 p.m. on Saturday, but SpaceX did confirm whether it would try again at that time.

Poor weather conditions stopped a previous Thursday attempt, and prior effort Wednesday also was stopped, but SpaceX did not reveal the reason for that scrub.

Friday's launch would have been the 16th for the Falcon 9 booster. Ten of the 15 missions so far have been for Starlink satellites.

There have been 60 SpaceX orbital missions so far this year.

This booster previously launched SES-22, ispace's HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1, and 10 Starlink missions.

If successful, the first stage booster will separate and land on the Just Read The Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

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