Update on Thursday, May 10, 6:20 PM ET: The final countdown to the launch of Falcon 9 stopped a minute before takeoff on Thursday, due to some unknown problem that triggered the abortion sequence of the vehicle. SpaceX could not solve the problem during the launch window and has delayed the mission until Friday May 10 . The company can take off during a launch window that runs between 4:14 PM ET and 6:21 PM ET.
Tomorrow, SpaceX is scheduled to launch the first high-orbit communications satellite for the country of Bangladesh, and the company is using its Falcon 9 even more advanced for the job. Called Bangabandhu-1, the satellite travels to space above the Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX's Block 5. It is the latest and most powerful version of Falcon 9 that SpaceX plans to make, as the company shifts its focus to the development of a new giant rocket and spacecraft combo, the BFR.
Block 5 presents numerous improvements designed to make the rocket easier to reuse Thanks to the changes, Block 5 should not require so much time or effort to be ready to fly once it lands. And this particular rocket will show your landing abilities after the flight. The first stage of Falcon 9 will return to Earth after launch and will attempt a landing on one of SpaceX's autonomous unmanned vessels in the Atlantic Ocean.
. The main objective of the mission is to put Bangabandhu-1 in orbit. The satellite will eventually travel to a road 22,000 miles above Earth, where it will provide telecommunications coverage for Bangladesh and the surrounding areas. It is the first time that the county sends a communications satellite to this height of an orbit.
The rocket is scheduled to take off from the SpaceX launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Originally, SpaceX tried to take off on Thursday, but the flight was canceled just one minute before launch due to some unknown problem. Now, the company will try to take off on Friday, May 10, during a launch window that lasts approximately two hours, from 4:14 PM to 6:21 PM ET. Although the weather can be a little iffy; there is a 60 percent chance of good conditions.
SpaceX coverage of the launch will begin about 20 minutes before takeoff, so check at that time to see the most powerful Falcon 9 that has ever taken off.