SpaceX’s plan to launch four small communications satellites into high Earth orbit was called off as the countdown reached T-0 seconds on Saturday (Dec. 1). The launch, scheduled for midnight EST (0500 GMT), was aborted just as the Falcon 9 rocket’s Merlin engines were igniting due to an unspecified technical issue.
SpaceX has rescheduled the launch for Sunday, December 22, citing a new target time. Astranis, the company building the satellites, took the setback in stride, saying “Scrubs happen! We’ve seen worse and will try again soon.” The company has one satellite that has already reached orbit, which explains the name given to this launch – “Astranis: From One to Many.”
The four satellites are destined for various purposes. Two will provide in-flight connectivity for travelers through Anuvu, a Colorado-based company. Another will beam service to customers in the Philippines, while the fourth, UtilitySat, is expected to serve a variety of customers throughout its life.
Astranis CEO John Gedmark described this launch as a “huge milestone” for his company, marking the first time four satellites have been launched together. The satellites are Astranis’ most advanced yet, with improved capacity and affordability. Despite the setback, Gedmark remains optimistic about delivering dedicated broadband networks to customers.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage was set to deploy the satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit approximately 35 minutes after launch, followed by a journey to geosynchronous orbit 22,236 miles above Earth. The rocket’s first stage was also scheduled for a landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” around 8.5 minutes post-launch, marking its 17th flight.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-launching-4-microgeo-satellites-to-orbit-tonight