SpaceX Aborts Amazon Satellite Launch Seconds Before Liftoff Due to Weather

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch carrying 24 Amazon Project Kuiper satellites was scrubbed Saturday morning, just 28 seconds before liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The attempt, aimed at deploying the next batch of satellites for Amazon’s broadband constellation, marks the third postponement this week after previous delays on Thursday and Friday.

Initially scheduled for a 9:45 a.m. launch, SpaceX first announced a revised target time of 9:32 a.m., then later moved to 9:45 a.m. The decision to abort was made due to unfavorable weather conditions reported near the Falcon 9 rocket, including falling raindrops observed during the live webcast.

Prior to the scrub, countdown milestones proceeded as planned from Launch Complex 40. These included final prelaunch checks by the command flight computer, propellant tank pressurization and verification of launch readiness by SpaceX’s launch director. The Falcon 9 was slated to ascend on a northeasterly trajectory, with its first-stage booster targeted for landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship offshore approximately eight minutes after liftoff.

The weather squadron associated with the Space Force had previously assessed a 40% probability of favorable conditions, citing cumulus clouds, anvil clouds and lightning as potential hazards. While no sonic booms were anticipated across Brevard County, persistent cloud cover detected by National Weather Service radar contributed to the ultimate launch postponement. SpaceX has now set a new launch window opening at 8:57 a.m. Sunday for the Project Kuiper KF-02 mission. The attempted liftoff would have been Cape Canaveral’s 67th orbital rocket launch of the year, surpassing previous annual records of 57 in 2022 and 72 in 2023, with a record high of 93 launches set in 2024.