After delay, SpaceX successfully launches rocket from Vandenberg
A SpaceX rocket successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday morning, one day after the originally-scheduled launch was scrubbed seconds before liftoff.
As the 10:39 a.m. launch window approached, SpaceX tweeted the Falcon 9 rocket was “looking good and weather is 80% favorable for today’s launch” from the base near Lompoc.
All issues resulting in the previous scrubbed launch had also been resolved — during a live broadcast of the Friday launch, a SpaceX official said the rocket computers had identified an off-nominal reading on one of the engines Thursday, which caused an automatic hold on the countdown.
That issue was fixed overnight and all systems were good to go as of Friday morning, she said.
The rocket successfully launched at 10:39 a.m., making its way into space to deliver 46 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Stage separation was confirmed at 10:43 a.m.
The launch used the company’s Falcon 9 rocket; the first-stage booster previously launched the NROL-87, NROL-85 and SARah-1 missions, SpaceX said.
Following separation, the Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth and landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 10:25 AM.
%20Cropped.jpg)