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HAWTHORNE (CNS) - Hawthorne-based SpaceX aborted the launch of a GPS satellite about two seconds before it was to lift off from Cape Canaveral Friday night.
SpaceX did not elaborate on the reasons the planned 6:43 p.m. California time launch of the U.S. Space Force GPS III Space Vehicle 04 was aborted.
“The team is evaluating the next earliest launch opportunity and we will provide an update as soon as a date is confirmed,” according to SpaceX.
The launch was originally planned on Wednesday, but delayed to make way for a higher-priority United Launch Alliance mission -- also scheduled for Wednesday -- carrying a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.
As a result, the SpaceX mission was pushed back until Friday.
As luck would have it, Wednesday night's ULA launch wound up being scrubbed at the last minute due to an engine-ignition failure. A new date has not been set for that mission.
In the interim, SpaceX on Thursday tried to launch another batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit aboard a separate rocket.
However, that mission was aborted just seconds before liftoff due to a concerning ground-sensor alert. That mission also has not been rescheduled.