SpaceX delays rocket launch from Vandenberg due to repairs. When will it blast off?

The launch of NASA’s ocean-observing satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base has been delayed 11 days to give workers more time to replace a pair of Falcon 9 rocket engines.

The space agency announced that the team will now target a 12:17 p.m. Nov. 21 departure. Liftoff initially aimed for Tuesday.

A Space Exploration Technologies Falcon rocket will carry the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean-monitoring satellite in a launch from the Space Launch Complex-4 East on the South Base near Lompoc.

“The additional time allowed SpaceX to complete Falcon 9 Merlin engine testing and inspections following an on-pad abort during a non-NASA mission,” NASA officials said in a written statement released Wednesday. “After completing engine testing and inspections, teams from NASA and SpaceX have determined that two engines on the Sentinel-6 rocket’s first stage would need to be replaced to ensure optimal performance during launch.”

“Work is now progressing to implement the engine change, and all engine hardware replacements will finish next week,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA’s associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.

While the West Coast mission has been delayed, Lueders said that “things are still on track” for the Nov. 14 launch of the agency’s Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station. That launch will occur from Florida.

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite arrived at Vandenberg aboard an Antonov cargo aircraft in September. After being removed from the aircraft, the spacecraft was taken to the SpaceX Payload Processing Facility for checkout and preflight processing.

Equipped with five instruments, the satellite will measure the height of oceans, which scientists say serves as a key component to understanding global climate change.

Earlier this year, NASA leaders announced the satellite’s new name to honor Freilich, who retired last year after leading NASA’s Earth Science Division since 2006. Freilich had overseen multiple missions, including many launched from Vandenberg. He died in August.

A second spacecraft identical to the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, Sentinel-6B, will launch in 2025.

Together, the sibling satellites will continue a 30-year log of recording sea levels, NASA officials said.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, SpaceX, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the European Space Agency are among the agencies involved in this launch campaign.

Weather permitting, spectators may get to see more than a rocket launch. Vandenberg officials said earlier this year that SpaceX intended to land the used first-stage booster at the base after the blastoff.

Returning the spent booster allows SpaceX to recycle the component, trimming costs and processing time for missions.