SpaceX and Space Force launch long-delayed GPS mission

More than a month after the last second scrub, SpaceX says it is ready to launch its latest U.S. space mission over a Falcon 9 rocket later this week.

Payload is an early third-generation military GPS satellite It was set for an explosion by the end of September But was pushed back for a few days. It was about to launch on October 2, but the launch was halted within two seconds of going to the countdown clock.

Unexpected issue led to some other delays, in particular NASA’s Crew-1 mission To send other astronauts to the International Space Station in a space X crew dragon capsule, with the concern that this problem would be solved in other Merlin engines.

The investigation found that a little “masking lacquer” had blocked a relief valve line, and two of the rocket’s nine Merlin engines had already tried to fire. Suspicious engines were replaced and new launch dates set.

The static test fire for the GPS III Space Vehicle (SV) 04 launch rocket has been completed, with Liftoff expecting a lift from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday evening, SpaceX said.

The first stage booster for this mission will build the first aircraft and attempt to land a drone in the Atlantic Ocean within 10 minutes after the lift. It is not clear whether SpaceX will try to recover half of the nose cone.

The launch is set for a 15-minute window that opens at 3:24 pm PT (6:24 pm Florida time) and you can see it opening via the feed above.

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