If you were eagerly anticipating the second-ever launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket this past weekend, you were sorely disappointed when the company was forced to delay the launch. We had a feeling that might happen, and the launch was pushed back to today, Tuesday, April 9th, but now yet another delay has pushed it back even further.
SpaceX now says that Falcon Heavy will likely launch tomorrow, Wednesday, April 10th. Today’s would-be launch was scrubbed due to inclement weather, but Wednesday’s forecast is looking a lot more favorable, and we might finally get to see SpaceX’s mega-rocket take flight for a second time.
According to SpaceX, the forecast for today showed just a slight chance that the rocket would be able to take off as planned, with only a 30 percent likelihood of favorable conditions. Wednesday, on the other hand, is currently 80 percent likely to have favorable launch conditions.
Now targeting Falcon Heavy launch of Arabsat-6A on Wednesday, April 10 – weather forecast improves to 80% favorable
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 8, 2019
This might be the second flight for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket but it’s still a major “first” for the company in a number of ways. The maiden Falcon Heavy flight was essentially a test launch, with even Elon Musk saying that he wasn’t sure how things were going to go.
This time around SpaceX has a paying customer to please. In its first-ever commercial launch, Falcon Heavy will deliver the Arabsat-6A into orbit, marking a new business milestone for the company and further cementing it as the leader in commercial spaceflight.
As is the case with many of SpaceX’s launches, the flighty skyward is only half the fun. The company’s reusable rockets will make their way back down to Earth for soft landings that will allow them to be used again. In Falcon Heavy’s first flight, both side boosters made successful landings but the central core booster splashed down in the ocean instead of being caught by SpaceX’s drone ship. We’ll see if they have better luck this time around.
The launch is currently scheduled for 6:35 p.m. EST, and it will be streamed live online.
