The rocket is carrying 46 of the company's Starlink internet satellites.
It was less than a minute before the launch when the mission controllers announced the abort, according to Space.com.
(Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shipped out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Deep Space Climate Observatory. Unfortunately, it suffered a lack of fuel and could not re-enter Earth's atmosphere.
On Twitter, SpaceX announced that the launch was moved tomorrow, June 22, at 1:39 p.m. EDT (5:39 p.m. GMT or 10:39 a.m. local time at the launch pad). The launch will be at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Falcon 9 called a hold at T-46 seconds ahead of today's planned launch of Starlink. Now targeting tomorrow, July 22 at 10:39 a.m. PT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 21, 2022
Thursday's Aborted Flight is SpaceX 32nd Launch This Year
Falcon 9 has already flown three times before, and Thursday's aborted flight would have been SpaceX's 32nd launch in 2022. If the rescheduled flight would push through tomorrow, the company would be surpassing its 2021 record of 31 launches.
Although the company has not provided any details about the cause of the abort, Spaceflight said that it is possibly attributed to bad weather or range safety.
The Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to take off at 10:39 a.m. PDT (1:39 p.m. EDT) from a foggy launch pad at Vandenberg.
"There are a thousand ways a launch can go wrong, and only one way that it can go right," said SpaceX, Kate Tice, quality systems engineering manager, during live launch commentary.
With that, SpaceX said that they are very cautious on the ground. The company said that they will stop the countdown, if the team or the vehicle observes anything that looks even slightly off.
As shown in the broadcast, the company's California launch site is covered in fog. The fog completely obscured the rocket.
Where Can You Watch Falcon 9's Launch
If you want to watch the launch attempt on Friday, you can view it at Space.com or directly on SpaceX's YouTube. The broadcast will include the Falcon 9's first stage landing attempt on the SpaceX "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
The coverage of the SpaceX launch usually starts some 15 minutes prior to take off, however, just like what we witnessed today, all launches are subject to changes due to technical issues or weather.
This month alone, SpaceX has successfully launched three groups of Starlink satellites at its Florida launch site. The most recent flight was on Sunday, July 17.
As of writing, the company has launched over 2,800 Starlink satellites. According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, 2,115 of the satellites are still operational.
According to Spaceflight, SpaceX also had to call off its launch in December 2020. A technical problem forced SpaceX to stop the countdown in the final phase of countdown preparations during a planned launch from Florida.
During that aborted launch attempt, an unexpected pressure reading in the Falcon 9's upper stage liquid oxygen tank was observed by the SpaceX engineers. After troubleshooting, the mission was successfully launched two days later.
Starlink satellites are created to provide global high-speed internet coverage, especially to remote or underdeveloped locations.
Related Article: Starlink Set To Deploy 53 More Satellites Courtesy of SpaceX's Falcon 9
