Scrubbed again! Gusty winds trigger 2nd straight stand-down of NASA's PACE launch attempt

Rick Neale, Florida Today
Updated ·2 min read

Update 6 p.m. Tuesday: Scrubbed again! Gusty winds have triggered a second straight stand-down of SpaceX's attempt to launch NASA's PACE spacecraft into a a sun-synchronous orbit.

SpaceX and NASA are now targeting 1:33 a.m. EST Thursday to launch PACE atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Original story: The Space Coast's eighth launch of the year is scheduled overnight — sending NASA's PACE spacecraft into a a sun-synchronous orbit!

High winds at the Falcon 9 first-stage booster landing zone forced postponement of the original launch attempt, which was scheduled for early Tuesday morning.

Likewise, the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron only pins the odds of "go for launch" weather at 50-50 for this upcoming second attempt, citing liftoff winds and cumulus clouds.

Climate change: Take a peek at NASA's PACE spacecraft, which will study climate change and ocean health

SpaceX reported the first-stage booster will target landing 7 minutes, 32 seconds later back at the Space Force base — triggering late-night sonic booms across the vicinity.

Check back for live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage updates on this page, starting about 90 minutes before liftoff. Look for NASA TV live launch coverage at the top of this page starting at 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.

An artist's rendering of NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, or PACE, spacecraft in Earth orbit.
An artist's rendering of NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, or PACE, spacecraft in Earth orbit.

For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Scrubbed again! Gusty winds trigger 2nd stand-down of PACE launch try