SpaceX’s intention to launch four compact communication satellites into a high Earth orbit was canceled as the countdown hit T-0 seconds on Saturday (Dec. 1).
A Falcon 9 rocket tasked with transporting four “MicroGEO” satellites manufactured by the San Francisco-based firm Astranis was slated to take off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at midnight EST (0500 GMT). An unidentified problem necessitated an abort just as the Falcon’s Merlin engines were firing up.
“Standing down from tonight’s Falcon 9 launch,” SpaceX communicated in a notice posted on the X social media platform. “Now aiming for liftoff on Sunday, December 22.”
“Scrubs occur!” noted Christian Keil, Astranis’ vice president, on X. “We’ve faced worse and will make another attempt soon.”
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So far, only one Astranis satellite has successfully reached orbit, which is why this launch was referred to as — “Astranis: From One to Many.”
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Two of the four satellites scheduled for launch on Saturday will serve Colorado-based company Anuvu, providing in-flight connectivity for passengers. Another will deliver service to customers in the Philippines, and the fourth, named UtilitySat, is anticipated to cater to various customers throughout its operational life, as stated by Astranis.
“This marks a significant milestone for Astranis. We are transitioning from one satellite to many, and this is the first occasion that anyone has attempted to launch four satellites simultaneously,” remarked Astranis CEO John Gedmark in a statement sent via email prior to the launch attempt.
“These are our most sophisticated satellites to date, featuring numerous enhancements that will boost capacity and affordability,” he remarked. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to meet our customers’ needs by offering dedicated broadband networks in an unparalleled manner.”
The Falcon 9’s upper stage was intended to deploy the four Astranis satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit approximately 35 minutes after launch.
The group was then expected to travel to geosynchronous orbit, which is a circular trajectory 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth. At this height, the orbital velocity matches the Earth’s rotation speed, enabling spacecraft to “hover” consistently over the same section of Earth.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9’s first stage was to return to Earth for a landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” about 8.5 minutes post-launch. This would have marked the 17th flight for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
