It’s been a rough week for the folks at SpaceX. The second-ever launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket was supposed to happen on Sunday, and then again on Tuesday, and yet again on Wednesday. Needless to say, none of those dates fit the bill, with most of the delays related to poor weather conditions.
Now, SpaceX is hoping that the fourth time is the charm, and it has another launch window scheduled for today at 6:35 p.m. EST. As before, the launch could take place at any time over a window of about three hours, but if SpaceX does indeed manage to launch its massive rocket today you’ll be able to watch it live right here.
The YouTube window below will go live shortly before the launch window opens, assuming SpaceX doesn’t push it back at the last minute. As usual, the live stream will include commentary from SpaceX staff, along with details about the mission and status of the spacecraft.
SpaceX made headlines early last year with the first-ever launch of the Falcon Heavy, and the successful return of two of its three boosters was a stunning sight. That mission was more of a test than anything else, with head man Elon Musk deciding to send his own Tesla as the rocket’s payload.
This time around, SpaceX has a paying customer it needs to please. Arabsat needs SpaceX to send its Arabsat-6A communications satellite into Earth orbit, and SpaceX wants to make good on its promise that the Falcon Heavy can fulfill a commercial need. With only one successful Falcon Heavy launch under its belt, SpaceX would rather not have to delay this second flight again, but safety is a top priority.
High wind speeds far above the ground were responsible for derailing yesterday’s launch, and we won’t know for sure whether things are calm enough for a launch until SpaceX makes the call. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
