SpaceX delays launch of space weather satellite

The SpaceX launch for Sunday night has been postponed.
(Image credit: Twitter.com/chicagotribune)

Following the failure of a radar-tracking system, SpaceX postponed Sunday's launch of the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).

See more

The countdown was stopped at the two-and-a-half-minute mark after the Air Force radar system that would track the rocket in flight didn't work, The Associated Press reports. CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that SpaceX would try again on Monday, and the postponement gave the company time to replace the first stage video transmitter. SpaceX also planned to attempt a landing of a leftover booster onto an ocean platform; the goal is to reuse rockets in order to save money and get flights up and running faster.

The spacecraft will make its way to a spot 1 million miles from Earth and 92 million miles from the sun in order to monitor solar outbursts and provide notification of intense activity that could interfere with communications and air travel back on Earth.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.