Update Nov. 6, 2:56 p.m. EST: SpaceX pushed the planned T-0 liftoff time to the end of the launch window.
Update Nov. 6, 7:17 p.m. EST: SpaceX scrubbed the mission more than 30 minutes prior to liftoff.
SpaceX is preparing to launch the Starlink 6-77 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after scrubbing the launch twice over the past week.
Roughly 30 minutes before the planned liftoff on Wednesday, SpaceX waived off its launch attempt without stating a reason. The company simply said that they were “standing down” and instead “targeting Thursday” for the next launch attempt.
A helium-related ground system issue forced a scrub of the Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday, with just two minutes and 36 seconds left on the countdown clock. The launch was rescheduled for Tuesday after Monday’s launch of the CRS-31 space station resupply mission, but was then delayed another day without explanation from SpaceX.
SpaceX is now targeting a liftoff from pad 40 on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 3:13 p.m. EST (2013 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about an hour prior to liftoff.
Weather hasn’t played a favorable role in mission planning either. For much of the week, weather conditions in the booster recovery zone weren’t ideal for recovering the first stage of the rocket. Liftoff conditions on Wednesday were forecast by the 45th Weather Squadron to have just a 30 percent chance of favorable conditions at liftoff.
Coming into Thursday’s launch opportunity, conditions are far better. Launch weather officers forecast a 90 percent chance of good launch conditions and a low chance of poor booster recovery weather. If SpaceX needs to pivot to a Friday launch, conditions improve to 95 percent favorable.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1085 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch for a third time. It previously supported the Crew-9 astronaut mission to the International Space Station and Starlink 10-5.
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the booster is set to land on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Just Read the Instructions stationed in the Atlantic, west of the Bahamas. If all goes according to plan, this will mark the 96th booster landing for JRTI and the 362nd booster landing to date.
