SpaceX has had to delay the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket over concerns about the payload fairing, and no new date has been set.
SpaceX has delayed its launch of a communications satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket after the company said it needed more time to test the nose cone, a payload fairing in a clamshell shape that protects the satellite during liftoff. SpaceX has not yet announced a new launch date, which had been scheduled for Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
SpaceX wrote on Twitter that they would conduct some additional testing on the pressurization system in the fairing. Once that testing has been completed, they will set a new launch date, the company said.
“Standing down from this weekend’s launch attempt to conduct additional testing on the fairing’s pressurization system,” the full quote reads. “Once complete, and pending range availability, we will confirm a new targeted launch date.”
SpaceX has been quite busy lately. They launched the Falcon Heavy for the first time, sending a Tesla Roadster into outer space and passing a big milestone in the effort to send man to Mars, all while landing to Falcon 9 rockets simultaneously back on land. However, they are not the only space company busy, as the United Launch Alliance will launch an Atlas V rocket carrying a weather satellite, also at Cape Canaveral.
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