Dec. 3 (UPI) — SpaceX canceled Sunday’s planned launch to send 64 satellites into space using the aerospace company’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch was initially scheduled to take place at 10:31 a.m. PST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
“Standing down from tomorrow’s launch attempt of Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express to conduct additional inspections of the second stage. Working toward a backup launch opportunity on December 3,” SpaceX said in a tweet.
This is the second delay for the launch. Falcon 9 and its crowded payload were supposed to take flight on Nov. 19, but SpaceX delayed the SmallSat Express mission to conduct additional tests. Bad weather caused subsequent delays.
The flight will be the third for this particular Falcon 9 rocket. No SpaceX rocket has yet flown more than two missions.
Now, SpaceX and its workhorse vehicle is ready to set the record for most satellites launched by a single American rocket. The 64 miniature satellites belong to companies, governments and research institutions in 17 different countries.
As Bloomberg reported, three of the toaster-sized satellites belong to HawkEye 360, a startup company looking to sell their satellite system’s ability to hone in on hard-to-track radio frequencies to defense and intelligence clients, including government agencies like Homeland Security or Coast Guard.
Pirates and smugglers regularly turn off GPS devices to avoid detection. Instead, they rely on satellite phones and CB radios to communicate and coordinate their illegal activities. HawkEye 360 thinks its satellites will be able to triangulate those frequencies and help their clients track down said pirates.
Nearly all of the satellites on SpaceX’s payload aim to prove that a combination of smaller, simpler and cheaper satellites can perform the same complex functions as much larger, more expensive satellites.
Some of those smaller satellites aim to build an internet network capable of supporting smart devices back on Earth’s surface.
“Eight of the satellites on board a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base will be from companies hoping to build a truly global Internet of Things by revolutionizing satellite communications,” Wired reported.
While most smart devices use WiFi to connect to internet networks on the ground, many potentially trackable items exist and move across regions without Internet access. These new satellite networks could help companies track agricultural shipments or support pipeline monitoring efforts.
If these proof-of-concept missions are successful, SpaceX — which has mostly relied on contracts with NASA — will be poised to capture a whole new market.
“Most of the start-ups are planning to eventually have constellations of between 60 and 100 satellites,” Wired reported.
