Scrub! SpaceX halts countdown of Wednesday Starlink launch attempt with 2 minutes left

Wednesday night launch scrubbed. To follow Thursday, March 14, launch attempt, click here. For launch recap from Wednesday scrub: Scroll down for the previously live coverage of SpaceX's scrubbed Wednesday, March 13, liftoff attempt of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Welcome to FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team live coverage of tonight’s delayed SpaceX Starlink 6-44 mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceX is now targeting 9:39 p.m. EDT — nearly two hours later than initially announced — to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A.

The Falcon 9 will deploy a batch of 23 Starlink internet satellites, which are packed inside the fairing atop the 230-foot rocket.

Where to watch launch: SpaceX Starlink 6-44 mission: Where to watch Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral

The National Weather Service noted fair skies, a temperature of 73 and south wind of 12 mph as of 8:55 p.m. at adjacent Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

No local sonic booms are expected. After soaring skyward along a southeasterly trajectory, the rocket's first-stage booster will target landing aboard a drone ship out at sea 8½ minutes after liftoff.

Countdown Timer

SpaceX's next try opens Thursday night

Update 9:51 p.m. Now, SpaceX's next launch window will open at 7:04 p.m. Thursday.

The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron pegged the odds of "go for launch" conditions at 95% for this backup window.

"On Thursday, the boundary will have cleared to our north, taking most of the mid-level moisture with it. Excellent weather is on tap for a launch attempt Thursday evening with the Cumulus Cloud Rule being only a distant concern," the squadron's forecast said.

Scrub!

Update 9:39 p.m.: SpaceX has stopped the countdown with 2 minutes, 3 seconds remaining before liftoff.

No public reason for tonight's scrub has been released.

SpaceX launch webcast begins

Update 9:34 p.m.: SpaceX's launch webcast hosted on X (formerly Twitter) is now posted right below the countdown clock.

Liftoff is scheduled in five minutes from KSC.

SpaceX launch countdown timeline

Update 9:20 p.m.: "All systems and weather are currently go for launch," SpaceX reported in a 9:04 p.m. tweet.

Here's a rundown of SpaceX’s remaining countdown timeline. T-minus:

• 16 minutes: Second-stage liquid oxygen loading begins.

• 7 minutes: Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch.

• 1 minute: Command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks; propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins.

• 45 seconds: SpaceX launch director verifies “go” for launch.

• 3 seconds: Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start.

• 0 seconds: Liftoff.

SpaceX Falcon 9 fueling finally underway

Update 9:05 p.m.: Visual cues indicate Falcon 9 fueling procedures are now underway at pad 39A, SpaceX just announced.

That means tonight’s Starlink mission is now committed to lift off at 9:39 p.m., or else the launch must be postponed.

SpaceX announces third delay

Update 8:46 p.m.: SpaceX has moved the target liftoff time back 14 more minutes, to 9:39 p.m.

SpaceX booster to fly 19th mission

Update 8:36 p.m.: Tonight's mission marks the 19th flight for this Falcon 9 first-stage booster, SpaceX reported.

The well-traveled booster previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8 and 11 Starlink missions, SpaceX reported.

Following stage separation, crews expect the booster to land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas out on the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes, 26 seconds after liftoff.

Launch would be 17th of year from Cape

Update 8:15 p.m.: SpaceX's Starlink mission tonight is slated to become the 17th launch thus far this year from KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Click here for a review of the previous 16 launches during 2024.

SpaceX Starship meeting available online

Update 7:55 p.m.: Got time to burn during the ongoing launch delay? Click here to view the U.S. Air Force's 13-minute virtual meeting video describing the SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy environmental impact statement studies that are underway at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

SpaceX hopes to rebuild Launch Complex 37, which is used today by United Launch Alliance, for Starship operations. Click here for FLORIDA TODAY coverage of the proposal's March 5 open house at the Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library in Cocoa.

SpaceX postpones liftoff to 9:25 p.m.

Update 7:23 p.m.: SpaceX has now pushed back the launch time to 9:25 p.m.

Aside from thick cloud layers and cumulus clouds at the Cape, potential weather concerns include a low-to-moderate risk of upper-level wind shear, according to the Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron.

Space Force: 60% chance of 'go for launch' weather

Update 7 p.m.: The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron pinned the odds of "go for launch" weather tonight at 60%.

"While convective risks will remain low, mid-level clouds moving though the Spaceport may be some cause for concern for the initial launch window," the squadron's forecast said.

"Therefore, the primary weather concerns for a Wednesday evening launch will be for the Thick Cloud Layer Rule and Cumulus Cloud Rule," the forecast said.

SpaceX launch prep underway in Brevard

Update 6:46 p.m.: Brevard County Emergency Management officials have activated the agency's launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.

SpaceX Starship launch set for Thursday

Update 6:30 p.m.: Tonight's Starlink launch from Florida will set the stage for SpaceX's widely anticipated third flight test of the Starship mega-rocket in Boca Chica, Texas.

The 110-minute launch window will open at 8 a.m. EDT. Click here for more Starship information from FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Brooke Edwards.

"The third flight test aims to build on what we’ve learned from previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives, including the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing Starship’s payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage’s coast phase, the first ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship," the SpaceX website says.

"It will also fly a new trajectory, with Starship targeted to splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety," the website says.

SpaceX pushes back launch to 7:51 p.m.

Update 6:05 p.m.: SpaceX's original Falcon 9 liftoff target time of 7:29 p.m. has been bumped back to 7:51 p.m., per the company's website. No reason was publicly released.

Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming rocket launch schedule for SpaceX, NASA in Florida

For the latest news from KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, 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

Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Scrub! SpaceX halts countdown of Wednesday night Starlink launch try