{"id":19453,"date":"2016-02-25T23:33:19","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T15:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-holds-up-on-ses-9-satellite-launch-and-rocket-landing-just-before-liftoff\/"},"modified":"2016-02-25T23:33:19","modified_gmt":"2016-02-25T15:33:19","slug":"spacex-holds-up-on-ses-9-satellite-launch-and-rocket-landing-just-before-liftoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-holds-up-on-ses-9-satellite-launch-and-rocket-landing-just-before-liftoff\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX holds up on SES-9 satellite launch (and rocket landing) just before liftoff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 sits on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the second day in a row, SpaceX scrubbed the launch of the SES-9 telecommunications satellite as well as the Falcon 9 rocket landing attempt that was due to follow.<\/p>\n

The abort came with just 1 minute and 41 seconds left before the scheduled 3:47 p.m. PT (6:47 p.m. ET) liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, preliminary [word] is that we were still evaluating the liquid oxygen propellant load, looking at how much time we had left in the count to finish loading the liquid oxygen, and at that time the launch team decided that we would need to hold the countdown,\u201d SpaceX launch commentator John Insprucker said.<\/p>\n

It was not clear when the next launch opportunity will come up.<\/p>\n

The mission\u2019s main objective is to put the SES-9 satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. That\u2019s the first step toward putting the satellite into position to provide high-speed data and TV services to millions of users in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s secondary objective is to bring the Falcon 9\u2019s first stage back down for a rocket-powered landing on an autonomous spaceport drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

<\/span> A successful landing is not expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

This launch has been delayed for months, due to scheduling complications in the wake of last June\u2019s failure of a Falcon 9 space station resupply mission. For that reason, SES is anxious to get its satellite in the proper orbital position as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

SpaceX has stretched the Falcon 9\u2019s capabilities to send the satellite to the desired orbit. It\u2019s not certain whether there\u2019ll be enough propellant left over after the ascent to get the booster to the drone ship. As a result, SpaceX has been lowering the expectations for the landing.<\/p>\n

\u201cA successful landing is not expected,\u201d SpaceX said in its press kit for the mission.<\/p>\n

SpaceX has been taking pains to make sure the Falcon 9 is at its best for this launch. The company called off Wednesday\u2019s planned launch attempt with a half-hour left in the countdown, and used the extra day to make sure that the liquid oxygen propellant was as cold as possible. The oxygen becomes denser when it\u2019s colder, which means more of it can be packed into the rocket\u2019s tanks.<\/p>\n

More oxidizer maximizes the chances of a successful launch, as well as a successful landing on the drone ship. The ship is known as \u201cOf Course I Still Love You.\u201d That weird moniker serves as a tribute to science-fiction author Iain M. Banks and the fanciful names he gave to his fictional sentient starships.<\/p>\n

Of course SpaceX\u2019s fans will still love the company and its billionaire founder, Elon Musk, even if the landing doesn\u2019t work. SpaceX pulled off an onshore Falcon 9 first-stage landing in December, and came close to success in three offshore landing attempts dating back to the start of 2015.<\/p>\n