SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg delayed again — this time by ‘unfavorable weather’

The series of storms slamming the West Coast will delay the first launch of 2023 from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc.

Instead of Sunday, the Falcon 9 rocket and its 51 Starlink satellites won’t launch before Wednesday, according to Space Exploration Technologies.

“Due to unfavorable recovery weather conditions with 15-plus foot waves in the Pacific Ocean, as well as high winds across Central and Southern California, we’re now targeting no earlier than Wednesday, Jan, 18, for Falcon 9’s launch of Starlink from California,” SpaceX posted on Twitter.

On its website, SpaceX said it planned for the launch to take place on Thursday.

The first-stage booster will land on a drone ship positioned in the Pacific Ocean, so rough seas could hamper the plan.

The mission aimed to launch on Jan. 9, but a combination of unfavorable weather along with additional time to review second-stage data and complete pre-launch chores contributed to delays for the liftoff most recently planned for Sunday morning.

SpaceX did not release the planned launch time for the next attempt, but it appears to be aiming for about 7:20 a.m.

After initially targeting an evening departure, SpaceX had said it would countdown to a morning liftoff for “constellation optimization.”

Falcon 9 rockets blast off from Space Launch Complex-4 on the South Base