Bad weather forced SpaceX to cancel plans to launch a record 143 small satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday.
The team was told to recycle for another test on Sunday at 10 a.m. EST, when forecasts predicted a 70% chance of acceptable conditions.
SpaceX webcast
The scores of the satellites on the top of Falcon 9 are the most scheduled ever to launch a single rocket, eclipsing the previous 104-satellite mark set by India’s Polar satellite launch vehicle in February 2017.
The mission, known as Transporter 1, is SpaceX’s first dedicated rideshare flight in a program designed to provide low-cost access to space for small satellite operators who might otherwise have trouble connecting rides to rockets carrying larger satellites. , with higher priority.
“Excited about offering low-cost orbit access for small businesses!” SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote on Twitter on Friday.
SpaceX charges a relatively small million dollars to launch a 440-pound satellite and $ 5,000 for every 2.2 pounds above the base level. The company says Transporter missions will be conducted every four months or so as needed.
Transporter Flight 1 highlights an ongoing debate in the aerospace community about the need for revised regulations governing space traffic management, as more and more small satellites populate the Earth’s low orbit. Among the concerns: the threat of collisions that could generate debris clouds and threaten other spacecraft.
“Given the recent growth of non-traditional commercial space operations, including satellite service, space tourism and the deployment of a large number of satellites to provide global Internet access, updates to existing roles and responsibilities may be appropriate.” declared the NASA Aerospace Security Advisory Committee. wrote in a recent report.
“As things stand today, there are no clear lines of authority to direct coherence between the many entities operating in space.”