High winds force SpaceX to scrub yet another launch of GPS satellite

Upper level winds were the culprit Saturday for another scrubbed SpaceX launch, the fourth in a week of delays.

Weather and issues detected by the Falcon 9 rocket have caused multiple scrubs of the launch since Tuesday, when the company was first scheduled to launch a powerful GPS satellite for the Air Force from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch pad 40.

An issue detected by the first stage sensors caused the initial delays on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thunderstorms and a tornado watch in Brevard County caused Thursday’s launch attempt to be postponed, and high-level winds led to the decision Saturday to stand down from the launch.

Teams will attempt a launch again on Sunday, with a window opening at 8:51 a.m., SpaceX tweeted Saturday morning.

According to the 45th Weather Squadron, conditions are about 95 percent “go” for launch Sunday — SpaceX’s best odds yet — thanks to low temperatures and light wind.

Getting the payload into space would be a milestone for SpaceX: The launch is the company’s first national security mission.

It’s so high-profile that Vice President Mike Pence visited the Cape on Tuesday for the first launch attempt. Though the launch scrubbed, he still took the opportunity to announce the creation of Space Command, the 11th combatant command in the nation that will oversee space-related military operations.

The satellite, nicknamed “Vespucci,” is part of those efforts.

It’s is the first in what will be a series of 10 GPS III satellites ordered by the Air Force with three times better accuracy, eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities, 25 percent longer spacecraft lifespan and the capability to broadcast signals compatible with other international global navigation systems, including Europe’s Galileo.

The Lockheed Martin-built satellite could eventually be one of as many as 32 that the Air Force may order over the coming years.

The launch is indicative of the changing relationship between private space and the military. SpaceX sued the Air Force in 2014 arguing for more competitive bidding on contracts.

The suit was settled in 2015 and SpaceX got the coveted Air Force contract in 2016.

The company is trying to launch the satellite before the end of the year, which would bring its total count to a recordbreaking 21 launches in 2018.