Space and Physics
PUBLISHED
Update: The launch has been delayed until July 5 or 6. Below is the story as it originally appeared.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Today at 7.37pm EDT (12.37am BST tomorrow), SpaceX is hoping to launch its third rocket in less than two weeks.
This launch will see a Falcon 9 rocket send the Intelsat 35e communications satellite into geostationary orbit. It will lift-off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Owing to the large amount of fuel needed to reach this orbit, there will be no landing attempt.
Originally scheduled to launch at the same time yesterday, the launch was delayed to today due to a guidance abort issue with the rocket. If all goes to plan today, though, we should see the rocket lifting off in a few hours.
You’ll be able to follow the launch live at spacex.com/webcast. We’ve also embedded the stream for you to watch below.
As mentioned, SpaceX has already done two recent launches. These took place over a doubleheader weekend on June 23 and 24, with the former launching from Florida, and the latter from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
With these two rapid launches, SpaceX proved itself as not only being able to launch cheaply, but rapidly too. This third launch further cements their capabilities, and if they’re not already, other rocket companies should be getting mighty worried.
After all, if you can launch on a SpaceX rocket at a lower price and sooner than on another rocket, why would you bother going anywhere else?
Tune in later to see how it all goes.
