Bad weather forced SpaceX to cancel plans to launch a record 143 small satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday.
The team was told to recycle for another attempt Sunday at 10 a.m. EST, when forecasts predicted a 70% chance of acceptable conditions.
SpaceX webcast
Satellite scores at the top of the Falcon 9 are the most scheduled for a single rocket launch, eclipsing the previous 104-satellite mark set by India’s Polar satellite launch vehicle on February 2017.
The mission, known as Transporter 1, is the first shared flight dedicated to SpaceX in a program designed to provide access to low-cost space for small satellite operators who might otherwise have trouble hooking up rides. aboard rockets carrying larger, higher-priority satellites.
“I’m excited to offer access to low-cost orbit to small businesses!” Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, tweeted on Friday.
SpaceX charges a relatively low $ 1 million to launch a 440-pound satellite and $ 5,000 for every 2.2 pounds above that base level. The company states that the Transporter missions will be carried out approximately every four months as needed.
Flight Transporter 1 highlights an ongoing debate in the aerospace community about the need to renew regulations governing space traffic management, as more and more small satellites fill a low Earth orbit. Among the concerns: the threat of collisions that could generate debris clouds and pose threats to other spacecraft.
“Given the recent increase in non-traditional commercial space operations, including satellite service, space tourism, and the deployment of a large number of satellites to provide worldwide Internet access, they can appropriate updates to existing roles and responsibilities, “NASA’s aerospace safety advisory committee said. wrote in a recent report.
“As things stand today, there are no clear lines of authority to direct coherence among the many entities operating in space.”