The Atlas V rocket on the launch pad ahead of the ViaSat-3 F2 launch on Nov. 5. Photo: ULA

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – United Launch Alliance (ULA) scrubbed the ViaSat-3 F2 launch on Thursday, for the second night in a row. 

Both nights ULA scrubbed the Viasat launch due to an issue with the Atlas V booster liquid oxygen tank vent valve. The Atlas team discovered the issue on Nov. 5 during final checkouts while cycling the booster liquid oxygen tank vent valve. ULA attempted to work the issue during the launch window on Wednesday night before calling the scrub. 

Weather was a concern approaching the launch window on Thursday night, with ULA saying there was only a 10% chance of acceptable conditions due to heavy clouds. 

ULA was going through fueling operations ahead of the Thursday launch when the issue with the valve reoccurred. ULA announced the scrub at 9:04 p.m. EST. 

The Viasat group in Florida for the launch got the news just as the group reached Kennedy Space Center to head to the launch site. 

A new launch date has not been set. ULA said it will “evaluate the hardware and release a new launch when available.” 

ViaSat-3 F2 is the second satellite in the ViaSat-3 constellation. It is designed to add 1 terabit per second of capacity to Viasat’s network — more capacity than the operator’s entire existing network. F2 is highly anticipated after the first satellite suffered an anomaly with its antenna deployment in 2023 and is delivering a fraction of the capacity that was expected.