We’ll have to wait at least one more day to see SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket take to the skies again.
The mighty Falcon Heavy was scheduled to launch the U.S. Space Force’s robotic X-37B spaceplane, known as USSF-52, from Florida on Monday night (December 11). But about 30 minutes before the scheduled launch time of 8:24 p.m. ET (1:24 p.m. Japan time), SpaceX announced the cancellation.
“Due to ground-side issues, tonight’s Falcon Heavy launch is canceled. The aircraft and payload remain healthy. The team is resetting for the next launch opportunity for the USSF-52 mission. ASAP. but tomorrow night,” SpaceX said. written via X (Formerly known as Twitter).
Every time USSF-52 launches, you can watch it happen on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX.
Related: Space Force’s secret X-37B spaceplane: 10 surprising facts
USSF-52 was the seventh launch of the reusable 29-foot (8.8-meter) X-37B, which military officials say is primarily a test bed for new instruments and other technology. Most payloads and other details about the X-37B mission are classified.
The first five X-37B missions were launched on United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets. The latest one landed in November 2022 after 908 days in orbit, launching aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
USSF-52 will be the first X-37B mission aboard the Falcon Heavy, which can lift spaceplanes higher than ever before. And it might actually happen. Goals for the next mission “include operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness techniques, and investigating the effects of radiation on NASA materials,” Space Force officials said. I wrote about it in last month’s release..
NASA’s radiation experiment will expose plant seeds to the harsh environment of space, the release added.
The Falcon Heavy debuted in February 2018 on a long-awaited test flight that sent SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk’s red Tesla Roadster into solar orbit.
The weightlifter has flown eight times so far, including four already this year. The rocket last flew in October this year to launch NASA’s Psyche asteroid probe.
The launch of the X-37B Falcon Heavy was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday (December 10), but SpaceX postponed the launch by one day due to weather concerns.