CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. — The third time was not the charm for space fans Thursday as SpaceX postponed a rocket launch again, this time because of bad weather.
- SpaceX pushes back rocket launch for 3rd time
- Falcon 9 rocket carrying next-gen GPS satellite
- Delta IV Heavy launch in California also postponed
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It was no surprise that SpaceX had to push back the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as showers blanketed Central Florida, and 45th Weather Squadron forecasted a low chance of favorable weather.
SpaceX is now targeting 8:55 a.m. ET Saturday for a fourth launch attempt. It said there was an 80 percent chance of favorable weather.
SpaceX said that because of mission constraints, it wouldn't try to land the first-stage booster.
The biggest challenges impeding the launch Thursday included the electric field from thunderstorms, along with cumulus and thick clouds.
Over the past two days, SpaceX has been working to resolve an issue with one of the sensor readings on the rocket's first stage. It caused a postponement Tuesday and then another delay on Wednesday.
On board the Falcon 9 rocket is the U.S. Air Force's GPS-3 satellite. It's the first in a third generation of satellites that Lockheed-Martin officials say will provide more accurate, secure and versatile information for the military and for the average person. An estimated 4 billion people use GPS technology around the world.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the scheduled launch Thursday night of a Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office was also pushed back again. United Launch Alliance said it was because of elevated hydrogen concentrations in a booster engine. The company said December 30 would be the earliest it could try again to launch the rocket.