SpaceX has delayed the commercial launch of its Falcon 9 rocket with a satellite payload in order to wait for better weather and ensure a safe landing.
The company was slated to launch a new Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sunday, to carry 11 OG2 satellites into orbit for telecom firm ORBCOMM Inc.
Just reviewed mission params w SpaceX team. Monte Carlo runs show tmrw night has a 10% higher chance of a good landing. Punting 24 hrs.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2015
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted that weather forecasts for Monday night look better, and that the launch has been rescheduled for 8:33PM PT.
Launch & landing can be seen on the https://t.co/bDd3GxQXMC webcast or in person from Cape Canaveral public causeway at 8:33pm local tmrw
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 21, 2015
In June, a SpaceX rocket headed for the International Space Station disintegrated two minutes after it launched; it was the first failure for the company’s Falcon 9, which had racked up 18 successful missions up until then.
Last month, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company Blue Origin successfully landed its New Shepard rocket. Bezos was proud of the achievement, but Musk made sure to throw shade and remind him that SpaceX had achieved similar milestones in the past.
You can catch a live webcast of SpaceX’s launch on its website on Monday at 8:10PM ET.
➤ ORBCOMM-2 mission update [SpaceX]
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