SpaceX Shifts SES 9 Launch to February 25

Falcon 9 rocket set to launch the SES 9 satellite. Photo: SES

[Via Satellite 02-25-2016] SpaceX has delayed the launch of the SES 9 satellite aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for Wed., Feb. 24 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX reported the suspension on its Twitter account yesterday night before the 6:46 p.m. launch window opened, saying that the rocket and spacecraft remain healthy and the company would try again for a launch on Thurs., Feb. 25.

An official reason for the delay was not released but SpaceX reported the company was tracking heavy winds and thick clouds earlier in the day. The Thursday launch window opens at 6:46 p.m. EST. SES CTO Martin Halliwell told Via Satellite earlier this week that the chance of a Thursday launch stands at 80 percent.

The SES 9 mission was previously expected in 2015, then in mid-January this year. Built by Boeing, SES 9 is designed to operate for 15 years in geosynchronous orbit with a 12.7-kilowatt payload and 57 high-power Ku-band transponders (equivalent to 81 × 36 MHz transponders). The satellite will be positioned at 108.2 degrees east to provide both replacement and incremental capacity over Asia. The spacecraft will be collocated with SES 7, reaching fast-growing markets including South Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Indian Ocean.